Our Body

In defining our body I began with the traditional idea it is considered the physical container of our life. This “container” is a common aspect of our nature in that we all have one and generally speaking our bodies all function in the same way. Specifically however, our bodies all function somewhat differently and it is obvious our visible physical characteristics are also unique. So suggesting our bodies are common while seeing these differences was going to present a problem. It became clear I needed something more fundamental than a strict and obviously complicating description of our “container” and its function. Already knowing I wasn’t going to find my definition of our body outside of it I looked within our ‘container’. Initially I encountered more differences in both our capacity for and the knowledge required to perform, physical activity. Then I ‘saw’ the common biological process and thus the definition that our body is the integration of our realized potential physical capacities, our physical activity and our physical knowledge. 1

The potential physical capacity of our body is the measure of what we are able to become in both form and function. What we are able to become is decided by anatomical factors that are genetically determined so that while we all commonly have a potential physical capacity, each of them is unique. Our potential physical capacity remains just a promise until it is realized by physical activity. Our realized potential physical capacity is what we have become physically, the realized portion of our potential. Included in physical activity are of course all the visible physical movements we perform in the routine of our lives; but in addition I have included the considerable physical activity which creates our body out of its first single cell. To perform physical activity requires physical knowledge, a large part of which I have allowed to be the genetic information included in our first cell which enables the activity that creates and maintains our body. The remaining physical knowledge is the stored awareness of all the movements, their sequence and timing, required to perform the physical activities our body has learned. 2

Our body, our physical integration, begins at conception when we possess our potential physical capacity, our genetic physical knowledge and the finite means of producing the vital energy that drives the integrating activity. It begins immediately and in the ideal, one cell becomes two, two become four, four become eight and so on which become skin, muscle, bone, blood, neurons, hair etc. As this activity continues according the innate physical knowledge, the result is our expanding realized physical capacity manifested in a growing body that becomes our adult form. Very early on in this integration, some months prior to birth, what will become visible physical movement begins with the initial spontaneous muscle contractions. Through this activity we learn, mostly after birth, to control coordinated movements of our mouth, hands, eyes, neck, arms, back, legs, and feet. Using this physical knowledge in our physical activity we eventually realize the capacity to scream, suck, grasp, see, roll over, sit, crawl, stand, and walk. At each successive level of realized capacity we gain more knowledge and learn other activities that further expand our individual realized physical capacity. The process continues but as we all know, our body does not last indefinitely. 3

Even without our interference our physical integration comes to an end in natural physical disintegration. Like physical integration natural physical disintegration begins at conception. Initially natural physical disintegration is not readily apparent because it is obscured by the increasing activity of creation and our expanding realized capacity to move. Nevertheless, within each of our cells there is an inherent mechanism of disintegration and thus it seems our rate of natural disintegration increases with the growing number of cells. As the rate of natural disintegration increases it becomes more and more of a drag on the rate of integration. Even as the creative activity winds down freeing energy for movement and maintaining integration, this redirected energy is insufficient to prevent the increasing rate of natural disintegration from causing the decline of physical integration. In addition, the rate of physical integration further declines with the diminishing supply of vital energy. Eventually, the declining rate of integration becomes the same as the increasing rate of natural disintegration. At this point the rate of natural disintegration increases to infinity while the rate of physical integration drops to zero. 4

It is a fact that like all animals, we have common, biologically determined ideal rates of physical integration and natural physical disintegration. The ideal rate of physical integration is the maximum it can be and the ideal rate of natural disintegration is the minimum it can be at any given time over the unique period of time we are given. We keep our rate of natural physical disintegration at its minimum by maintaining our rate of integration at its maximum. We maintain our rate of physical integration at its maximum with natural physical activities. I will define fully natural physical activities within the context of natural activities more appropriately in “Our reactions to the void”, the fourth element of our nature. For now it is enough to know natural physical activity commonly expands our realized physical capacities. To state the obvious, natural activity is innate. It begins at conception and it is theoretically possible to continue engaging in exclusively natural activity throughout our lives, thus maintaining the ideal rate of integration. However, though determined by our genes, unlike the rest of the animals, we humans are not restricted to natural activity. We can interfere with natural activity so our rate of integration and thus our rate of disintegration can be other than their ideals. 5

Our rate of physical integration becomes less than the ideal maximum and thus our rate of physical disintegration becomes greater than the ideal minimum when we engage in unnatural physical activity or disengage with unnatural physical inactivity. I will define both fully, within the contexts of unnatural activity and unnatural inactivity respectively after defining natural activity, in “Our reactions to the void. For now it is enough to know that while it is theoretically possible to engage in exclusively natural activity, it is not possible to engage in exclusively unnatural activity or completely disengage with unnatural inactivity, for in the absence of integrating natural activity there is complete disintegration. However, we can blend either unnatural activity or unnatural inactivity separately with natural activity. In doing so we don’t simply add unnatural activity or unnatural inactivity to natural activity. It seems we are allotted a contained amount of activity. So when we add a given amount of unnatural activity or a given amount of unnatural inactivity to our ‘container’, to make room for one or the other we must subtract the same amount of natural activity. The converse is true. Thus the rate of integration drops below or rises toward the ideal; and the rate of disintegration rises above or drops toward the ideal, accordingly. 6

Whatever the rate or its pattern of change, it is the integration of our realized physical capacity, physical activity and physical knowledge that defines our body. I believe this definition of our body satisfies the criteria that establishes the definition of our nature. Potential and realized physical capacity, physical activity and physical knowledge are basic elements and their integration is simple, common and constant from conception to death. Our body, the consequence of this integration, is constantly changing naturally. In addition, by choosing to replace natural activity with unnatural activity we can cause unnatural changes. It must be obvious we are in no way responsible for the natural changes dictated by our genetic instructions but though it may not yet be, it will become clear that we are entirely accountable for changes caused by the unnatural activity we choose. Given our unique capacities the definition of our body clearly accommodates the criteria of individuality but it must be noted the definition does not guarantee uniqueness. Complete individuality can only be realized with natural activity and thus at the ideal rate of integration. For it is only at the ideal, maximum rate we become what we are capable of being. The further below the ideal our rates of physical integration are, the less of what we are capable of being we become and thus the more alike we will be until in disintegration we are identical. There are unanswered questions regarding natural and unnatural activity and likely about accountability, but as mentioned these will be answered; but now, “Our Mind”. 7

Comments

[Esspweb]

Great website. Keep up the good work.