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Approach to Articles

To understand the approach of the articles encapsulated within the blog, I believe it is necessary to revisit the definitions of words such as: What is love, spirit, soul, and spirituality. I think it's wonderful to learn and listen without criticism, without evaluation, but with an open mind so that there can be dialogue without interventions. When we listen and learn, we reach the point of knowing that the mystery is so great... that ultimately, we don't know!!! It is beautiful to experience our daily lives with awe, just like when we were children!

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Love

I believe that the only representative definition for it is the love referred to by Paul the Apostle

in his epistle to the Corinthians, the 'Hymn of Love':

[13.1] Ἐὰν ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων λαλῶ καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, γέγονα χαλκὸς ἠχῶν ἢ κύμβαλον ἀλαλάζον. [13.2] καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω προφητείαν καὶ εἰδῶ τὰ μυστήρια πάντα καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γνῶσιν, καὶ ἐὰν ἔχω πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν, ὥστε ὄρη μεθιστάνειν, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδέν εἰμι. [13.3] καὶ ἐὰν ψωμίσω πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντά μου, καὶ ἐὰν παραδῶ τὸ σῶμά μου ἵνα καυθήσωμαι, ἀγάπην δὲ μὴ ἔχω, οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦμαι.

[13.4] ἡ ἀγάπη μακροθυμεῖ, χρηστεύεται· ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ ζηλοῖ· ἡ ἀγάπη οὐ περπερεύεται, οὐ φυσιοῦται, [13.5] οὐκ ἀσχημονεῖ, οὐ ζητεῖ τὰ ἑαυτῆς, οὐ παροξύνεται, οὐ λογίζεται τὸ κακόν, [13.6] οὐ χαίρει ἐπὶ τῇ ἀδικίᾳ, συγχαίρει δὲ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ· [13.7] πάντα στέγει, πάντα πιστεύει, πάντα ἐλπίζει, πάντα ὑπομένει.

[13.8] ἡ ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε ἐκπίπτει· εἴτε δὲ προφητεῖαι, καταργηθήσονται· εἴτε γλῶσσαι, παύσονται· εἴτε γνῶσις, καταργηθήσεται. [13.9] ἐκ μέρους δὲ γινώσκομεν, καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν· [13.10] ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. [13.11] ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ὡς νήπιος ἐλάλουν, ὡς νήπιος ἐφρόνουν, ὡς νήπιος ἐλογιζόμην· ὅτε δὲ γέγονα ἀνήρ, κατήργηκα τὰ τοῦ νηπίου. [13.12] βλέπομεν γὰρ ἄρτι δι’ ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθην.

[13.13] νυνὶ δὲ μένει πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη, τὰ τρία ταῦτα· μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη.

[13.1] If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. [13.2] If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [13.3] If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

[13.4] Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. [13.5] It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. [13.6] Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. [13.7] It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

[13.8] Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. [13.9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [13.10] but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. [13.11] When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. [13.12] For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

[13.13] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So let's see the words and definitions, with which the Apostle describes love...

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  • patient = able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.

  • kind = generous, helpful, and caring about other people

  • (no ) envy = desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable thing belonging to (someone else) / a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck.

  • (no) pride = Speaks very commendably about himself.

  • (not) boast = talk with excessive pride and self-satisfaction about one's achievements, possessions, or abilities

  • (it is not) self-seeking = having concern for one's own welfare and interests before those of others

  • (not) dishonor = a state of shame or disgrace

  • (not easily) angry = feeling or showing strong annoyance, displeasure, or hostility; full of anger

  • (no) evil = profoundly immoral and wicked

  • wrongdoing = illegal or dishonest behaviour

  • rejoice = feel or show great joy or delight

  • truth = reality indisputable principle - everything that agrees with reality - the absence of falsehood

  • protects= keep safe from harm or injury

  • faith = complete trust or confidence in someone or something

  • hope = a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen

  • (never) fail = be unsuccessful in achieving one's goal

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Taking into consideration all of the above, we can daily observe ourselves and reflect on whether the true motives behind our actions, words, and thoughts are those of love!

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Spirit = πνεύμα

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According to 1Georgios Babiniotis, the etymology of the word:

ancient Greek πνεῦμα < *πνεF-μα < πνέω < *πνέF-ω.

MEANING. Initial meaning "breath, vital air."

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Continuing our search for the definition of "spirit," we find that:

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Spirit is the vital principle or motivating force for all living beings2. It refers to the immaterial aspect of the human being and is the element in humans that enables them to have a close relationship with "God" (God = whatever each person believes as God).

So, when we talk about sports, we say we have team spirit. It is necessary, therefore, to keep in mind a series of characteristics in order to act collectively... For example, a common purpose, cooperation, making concessions, reducing our ego so that collaboration can take place, etc. Thus, we have common priorities that give us inspiration, give us movement, so that we can achieve our goal.

So the spirit that possesses us (intense emotion that dominates us) becomes what gives us movement, gives us strength!

I provide these examples to make it clear that the spirit that breathes life into this blog is love! Love for humanity and its uniqueness!

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1George Babiniotis is a distinguished Greek philologist, linguist, university professor and lexicographer.

2 From the 17th century, William Harvey and René Descartes speculated that somewhere inside the body, in a specific area, there was a "vital spirit" or "vital force."

 

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Soul = ψυχή

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ETYMOLOGY: Ancient Greek word < ψύχω "breathe, blow" < *ψύω < original meaning breath

MEANING: Initial meaning "breath, exhalation"

  • The immaterial element of a human being that, after the death of the body, acquires autonomous existence.

  • The emotional and moral world of humans in contrast to their intellectual functions: The cultivation of spirit and soul.

Man has spirit and is a soul. In its most basic sense, the word "soul" means "life."

Additionally, Georgios Babiniotis notes that spirit and soul linguistically are two main words of human existence. Both originate in the Greek language from the meaning of "breath," τhe blowing of air initially, at the source of physical life and the seat of the spirit, the brain.

 

 

Spirituality

Spirituality refers to the capabilities that constitute the spiritual level of an individual or the qualities that make up the spiritual dimension.

Breaking down the words:

  • Capabilities: The quality that someone naturally possesses or by character to achieve a result or goal.

  • Constitute: To gather and organize individual elements (people or things) to form a functional or harmonious whole.

  • The spiritual...: Pertaining to or related to the spirit, where spirit is the driving force, especially in the ability of the human mind to think, express thoughts, and create... (intellectually, artistically, etc.)

  • ...level of an individual or the qualities that make up the spiritual level: Refers to the level of an individual's spirituality or the characteristics that form the spiritual dimension!

 

However, what spirit does spirituality refer to? It refers to the spirit that each person is imbued with—the spirit that can be virtuous, envious, collective, dominated by fear, love, malice, or arrogance...

 

Everything we do is infused with a spirit. Acting with this mindset, we can observe ourselves on a daily basis and discover the driving force behind each of our actions, every word we speak, and every thought we have!

 

The term spirituality is also perceived as the search for the purpose of life3 and the attainment of inner harmony4.

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3(Feenstra & Brouwer, 2008)

4(Schwartz, 1992. Myyry, 2008)

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