The Soul...

So, I have been increasingly made aware of an issue. By "increasingly made aware" I mean that I've basically had an increasing burden on my soul that started with a nudge and has recently sometimes seemed as if God is pulling my inner ear, or screaming at me to get my attention.

It seems rather presumptuous for me to put it in those term but that's the best description I've come up with to describe what I'm experiencing.

What this issue is could be summed up in this quote:
"The eyes are the window to the soul."

I've looked up the source and no one I've found in my cursory search seems to know exactly where it came from. The Bible, Shakespeare, Kant, and various cultural proverbs are all cited. There are other variations made based on this quote as well.

For the sake of this monologue (discussion didn't really fit), let us assume already that this statement is correct since numerous people through the ages seem to have accepted it as fact.

The meaning of this quote seems to consistently be that you can see a person's soul through their eyes, whether good or bad. Heart, spirit, soul- whatever you want to call it, it's our inner self.

Lets look in the dictionary. Skipping over some words we find that a window is basically an opening for admission.

Furthermore (I just love that I can use that word!), a window can be viewed through two sides. Not only viewed through two sides, but a window is open for admission from both sides.

Ah. Yes.
(Perhaps you see where I am going with this now. Or maybe you did from the beginning.)

If a window is open for admission from both sides then not only are the eyes a window to reveal one's soul to the world, they are a window to reveal the world to the soul.

Oye.
(Are you with me so far? Regretting getting this far? Or maybe a heavy topic is just what you needed on a Thursday morning...)

So, then, if our eyes reveal the world to my soul, then my soul will absorb, process, and reflect back to the world the sense my soul has made of it, becoming altered from the state it had been a moment ago; and thereby (another word that's fun to use!) showing my eyes to be a window to my soul.

Hmmmm. Perhaps you are at the same place in your thought process as I am in mine in coming to the conclusion that what we then view with our eyes becomes pretty important.

What images, world definitions, and stories do we take in every day with our eyes?

In 2002 there was a quote stating 245 ads and brands are seen in an average day. Recently, another statistic I've heard reports 5,000 ads, including brands you may use in your home, that a person will see every day.

The difference in that is astounding. But, not only am I viewing ads, I could also be viewing movies, playing video games, or just interacting with someone.

[Edit: When I mention these things, I do not mean merely that the things themselves alter our soul, but the messages behind what we see- What is my worth? What do I deserve? Who and what should I love or have affection for? What kinds of things are really funny and which are just disturbing? Not to mention any words our eyes catch notice of throughout the day, or images varying between amusing and horrifying. The number of things we see that impact our souls, hearts, or spirits is just immense. If you read the Bible, you may be familiar with Phillipians 4:8. That's the verse that started me thinking about the impact various things and experiences can have on us.]

And everything I see my soul will intake, process, and reflect back a soul that has been altered. This happens over and over again every day without us even thinking about it.

Now, that's a sobering thought.

So... The question I now need to ask is, "What things do I view that are worth allowing my soul to be altered by it?"

That's a question that won't be easy to answer.

I, also, may really not like the decisions made as a result of those answers.

Hmmm. Decisions.... Now that's a topic that would be good for another time...