The body and spirit are the same but also different
Lean into this paradox to find deep meaning through sport
Time to get Aristotelian
“The soul is the form of the body”
When my first podcast guest, Patrick Flynn, said these words during our long conversation on sports, philosophy, and how to live the good life through both, a lot of things clicked in my mind (episode links at the bottom).
He described the classical Greek philosopher Aristotle’s understanding of the relationship between body and spirit. As a philosopher interested in the deepest value of sport and how to use it to live the best life for each individual, my studies have pointed me towards a simple truth about sports, they exist for the spirit but must be experienced through the body.
What does it mean?
In order to understand the deep power of that sentence and it’s relationship to athletic training and moral virtue, we need to back up and understand the relationship between things in the world and their ideal form as an idea or concept.
Matter and Form are two important classical Greek ideas in philosophy, given to us by Aristotle’s teacher Plato. Matter is the material component and the form is the ideal that exists beyond the material. Let’s take a classic example from the philosophy stereotype, what is a chair? That Matter is the physical chair in front of us, the one we can sit on. The Form is the necessary and sufficient conditions that define ALL chairs. It’s the perfect ‘definition’ of its material counterpart.
The relationship between the body and the soul now come into clear focus. The body is the material and the soul is the perfect definition of the immaterial. They are the same, but necessarily involve different components. The soul is immaterial but crucial to understanding the nature of the body. The body moves, but is animated with passion and desire by the soul. When a human being lives their best life, this is the proper relationship between these two components of the whole person.
Why so important?
I loved this simple crystallization of a deep idea that body and spirit are the same but also not the same. Deep paradoxes to me represent foundational truths that are beyond our comprehension, and so I don’t want to SOLVE the paradox but rather find a HARMONY to live with that paradox.
It’s a beautiful way for us to understand the deep value of moving our bodies with the proper intention. If the body is the material of the soul, exercising it properly also exercises our soul properly. In a world where people are desperately searching for meaning, purpose, and aim, knowing this connection alerts us to the emancipatory power of sport in freeing us up to take charge of our destiny. I CAN find deep spiritual satisfaction and peace through the proper use of the body, because it’s intimately linked in this philosophic connection to my spirit.
How to realize through action?
The other important element of sport in this understanding is the action involved. Moving the body in sport is an expression of the spirit. The entire activity in sport is an expression of struggle and sacrifice in order to obtain excellence and a shot at temporary perfection.
When you engage in sport with internal desire, to do it well just for it’s own sake, not for any external reward, you bring your spirit into the activity. This is when the body becomes the direct matter of the spirit’s form.
Playing sports you love, training in exercises you demand improvement in because you enjoy the process of learning and growth, and not caring about the external opinions of others who question your motives and actions is a powerful expression of meaning and purpose, what Aristotle calls ‘the good life.’
How to fit to your subjective experience?
Aristotle also instructs us that individuals don’t need the exact same things to live a good life. There are certainly foundational virtues that we all aim towards, what he called the 4 hinge virtues (subject for a later article).
These are: Courage / Justice / Temperance / Fortitude.
While there may be a finite set of goods, there are infinite ways for an individual to obtain those goods. Think about courage for example, there is not one way to gain courage and for some, what engenders courage in them might strike too much fear in another.
So what YOU need to do with this information is clear.
Block out external distractions
Tune into your internal compass. What many would call your ‘conscience’ but what I call your heart-gut axis. Borrowing from the Old Testament, the center of your being is where wisdom comes from, it was called ‘wiseheartedness.’ Intelligence and reason are great, but when thinking about deep meaning and purpose, it’s not the place we should turn.
Listen to what you hear when it comes to exercise and sport.
Maybe you’re being pulled towards competition and signing up for a big race that scares you a little.
Maybe you’re being directed towards a new adventure or sport you’ve always wwanted to try but never felt like it was the ‘right time.’
Maybe your being held to a higher internal standard than you lived up to and it’s time to start moving intently and taking care of your phyiscal health.
Whatever that signal is, it’s YOURS alone. Tap into it. And watch how your body and spirit flourish together in ways you never imagined possible.
If you want to work on finding that deep aim through sports together, shoot me a message using the button below and let’s connect and perfect your aim to bring body and spirit together.
Listen to the whole episode here
If you want to dive deeper into this connection, check out the entire conversation between Patrick and myself below.
Thanks for thinking seriously about sports with us!
If you like to listen: Apple Podcasts
If you like to listen: Spotify
If you like to watch: YouTube