I Think, therefore I am


“Cogito Ergo Sum”

Sometimes I wonder when I die, do I just disappear from existence. Does my thought process end? The great philosopher Rene Descartes stated “Cogito Ergo Sum” (I think, therefore I am) to prove his existence.  So does the thought process substantiate existence? This would be a good question for the pro-life/pro-choice debate of when life begins. When the thought process ends, does our existence ends? But does it?  Enter the soul.

The soul has been called the intangible factor to describe what happens to us after death.  Some call it the spark of life, possibly initiating the thought process in the developing fetus; and ending our thoughts with the withdrawal of the soul. But what is this soul? Is it made of matter or energy? Where does it locate in the body? What does it contain?

Some would think the soul would be located in the brain (cerebrum) due to the mental complexity of this area in thinking; but others would say it would be found in the heart region, due to the prime importance of this organ to sustain life. The expression from your innermost heart may allude to the soul’s location in the heart.

But what is contained in the soul. Could there be all our characteristic of the individual, and thoughts that make up these characteristics. In essence it is who we are.  The soul is said to have been pure when mankind was created, but evil thoughts (greed, arrogance, and self love) have permeated the soul, imbuing the soul with these negative characteristics, resulting in our negative attitudes and beliefs.

It is this soul, with all our information that is thought to leave our bodies when our physical bodies cease to function. From a physical perspective our thought process ends with our death, resulting in our nonexistence and departure of the soul. But where does the soul go?

This soul is said to require a mind to grow and mature (become pure). Many believe that further growth will occurs in the grasp of God’s mind in heaven. Others believe we come back, returning in the developing mind of a fetus. Some believe in a combination, eventually culminating in a joyous life in heaven or heaven on earth.


About heaventruth

This entry was posted in Christianity, God, Hinduism, Tenrikyo, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply


WordPress.com Logo


Google photo


Twitter picture


Facebook photo


Connecting to %s
