Wednesday, May 1, 2024

On Being Embodied

There aren't many things of a positive nature to say about suffering from a cranky back. Mine feels okay now, in case you were wondering, but last weekend was generally rendered pretty bleak on account of unpleasant stuff happening to the muscles in my back. At least, I think that was the problem, but I'm no doctor so I really don't know (and I suspect most doctors are equally ignorant.)

But looking back over some thirty years of patches of discomfort I can see one positive, apart from how good it feels when all is 'normal'. Being reminded of the fact that we are, for the most part, bodies rather than minds serves to ground one in a sort of ultimate reality which would otherwise be so easy to forget. Of course, it's easy to think of ways in which transcending the dictates of biology is a good idea - just so long as we don't fool ourselves into thinking we can somehow rise above our status as rather clumsy animals.

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