A Whole Person
Some People find it useful to look at a whole person in sub-parts.
The number of parts you divide a person into really doesn't matter. Nor do the lables for the parts mean all that much. The division below is one that covers everything in a very rough way.
The term "soul" is often used as a synonym for "spirit" but others use soul as a catch-all term for the "software" parts of a human being, as opposed to the "hardware parts which they call the "body". The "spirit" can be kept separate from soul in this usage, but it depends on the person, so its best to look closely to see how the person is using the terms.
One practical use for looking at people this way is in untangling personal mix-ups. Just ask yourself which category your problem falls under at this time. Sometimes it gives you a big surprise. For example, you might be short of money. It might look like a problem of stewardship of resources and money. However, it might actually be an emotional problem (I feel insecure) or a social problem (I am afraid of people, so I can't go get a job). Always try to solve the real problem and then the rest often takes care of itself.
1. Will (volition) – relates to our choices and ability to choose about ourselves and our life direction in relation to time (the clock and calendar in the 120 years we are given to live here on earth).
2. Spirit – The “I” part of me, with which I have the capacity to relate to the spiritual side of the universe, and the spiritual side of other people.
3. Mind (Intellect) – relates to thinking
4. Emotion – our ability to feel and be sensitive to the aesthetic side of life and relational side of life.
5. Physical – the mechanical side of our lives, and the equipment we are given with which we can relate to the physical world around us).
6. Social – We are both individuals and members of the human race. This refers to the capacity to relate to other people in the world, both those from within our culture and society, and those who come from other cultures and societies. (cultures and societies can overlap for a person, but in today’s world , certainly in Canada, they don’t overlap...ie they are not the same thing even if they overlap)
Then there are two things we get to “Steward” or look after:
1. Time – (duration). Einstein noted that this is actually a human invention or crutch which, like the concept of gravity, is not really what it seems, but for day to day purposes, it is helpful in getting us to dinner on time.. As noted above, our “will” is the thing which is mostly involved with management of this aspect of life, but all the other items on the above list also are involved, like our minds (“I think I will do this for an hour) or emotions (I feel like sleeping in for an hour), but our will is what actually chooses, and our bodies actually take us there. Actually, we don’t manage time, we manage ourselves in relation to a “grid” called time...I can’t affect how fast time ticks away...I can just affect what I do in relation to its passage.
2. Resources, (often abstracted into a symbolic form called “Money” in our society). Once again our will is involved here, but all the other aspects of our lives also play a part in this task. The “ecology movement” is about encouraging people to be more responsible about how they manage and relate to the physical resources around them. The field of economics and finance is about looking at this task in its “abstracted” form called money...but it is the same set of issues...
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