I Am Not My Body

"The body is imaginary, and we bow to the tyranny of a phantom. Love is a privilege perception, the most total and lucid not only of the unreality of the world but of our own unreality; not only do we traverse a realm of shadows; but ourselves are shadow."

                                                   -Adolfo Bioy Casares-

Today was one of those days where I was waging war on my body for no apparent reason other than to have someone to fight with.

I have always been conscious about my health, and really proud of the progress I've made in whatever sport I'm practicing at the time: boxing, weight lifting, resistance training, cycling, track, soccer, etc. To me, nothing is more rewarding and nothing has the ability to make me feel better than a good workout with a nice heavy sweat.

However, these last two weeks have presented a challenge for me. Between working on final assignments for school, work, and having to pack up my belongings and move within the next week, I have fallen off track so to speak.

My nutrition has amounted to grabbing a handful of whatever snack I can open quickly, and eat while walking out the door, or too stressed to eat at all. With a change of routine I haven't been able to commit as fully as I would like to my workouts.

I was feeling pretty down about it, until my philosophy professor said something that liberated all the internal feelings of guilt and doubt.

"Anything good or bad that happens to the body will not make or break us, because we are not our body. We are a soul."

The body merely serves as a vehicle to get from point A to point B. However, this statement made me realize, I am often guilty of not treating my vehicle as I should; either I refuse to put any gas in it at all, or fill it with so much gas, that it starts to spill out the sides.

If our bodies were actually vehicles, my vehicle would be long overdue to breakdown on the side of the highway, threatening to abandon me in the middle of the night, knowing I didn't have my AAA card on hand.

This short phrase brought me so much freedom that I thought I might cry the longer that I reflected on it.

My biggest pet peeve has and might always be getting complimented on my outward appearance.

It's not that I can't appreciate a compliment, because I can. But to me, it's the most superficial form of compliment you can receive. There wasn't much thought there, not much connection. Your mind merely connected with your eyes for a few brief seconds, and your mouth said the first thing that came to mind. There was no depth to the observation.

In my opinion, compliments about my looks or my physical body are superficial, because I put little to no thought into my appearance every day. Everything I do from eating healthy, going to the gym, and dressing professionally is for my mind, and for me to be able to feel and function to my best ability. But to me, there is so much more to me than just my body.

Yes, I am proud of the fact that I have strong legs, but I also have a big heart that inspires me to help anyone in my community that might need a helping hand.

Yes, I am proud of the fact, more than I should be that sometimes I brush my hair in the right direction, but I also have a powerful mind that is always running, churning, trying to crank out new ideas and topics to write about, trying to imagine new worlds to create.

I am so much more than my body, and more than I have been known to give myself credit for.

My body is capable of amazing things, but my soul is the driver that allows my body to get me there, and through all of those activities and obstacles I encounter on a day-to-day basis.

So I challenge you this: look in the mirror tonight. Stand there and really look for a few minutes until you truly see the picture staring back at you. Know that you are much more than the image reflecting back at you. Under that image, however you may choose to see it, live amazing things. Don't forget to open your eyes to those things, too.

You are not your body. You are a living, breathing, and beautiful soul.