by Zulmarie Gonzalez

Created on: April 17, 2010

There is no other better way to attempt to explain the difference between one's spirit and one's soul than to describe each one of them separately and to make an analysis based on the characteristics of each one. If one were to do this, it would be best to simplify as much as possible the characteristics of each one being that differentiating between these two is not something that is easily done and one could easily be tangled in the terminology and the depth of the explanation itself.

One must keep in mind that both one's soul and one's spirit are difficult to describe in words because one cannot see nor touch them. Both one's soul and one's spirits are part of each and every one of us which cannot be seen or touched, and this makes describing and explaining their differences somewhat difficult. But, there is a common ground that both of these share and that is that one is able to "feel" both one's soul and one's spirit, which makes being able to explain what each one is a little more easy.

The best way to explain the word "soul" is to analyze it in terms of "body, mind and soul." The body is the part of the human which is physical, the mind is the cognitive/putative part and the soul is the part of us which is able to "feel." Therefore, one's soul can then be explained as "that which is within us and cannot be seen and which allows for us to feel emotions and to connect with other humans." Basically, one's soul is what is understood by what continues on after one has passed on. The body stays behind but, one's soul leaves to another dimension. In my opinion, the mind and soul are somewhat connected so that what stays behind at death is only the body.

On the other hand, the spirit is another part of us which cannot be explained or analyzed in terms of "body, mind and soul." One's soul and spirit are connected but, one's spirit has nothing to do with one's self. In my opinion, one is born with a spirit which comes directly from God. One's spirit is what has that innate connection with God and God uses His spirit within each and every one of us to connect with us at a different level.

Therefore, to differentiate between what one's soul is and what one's spirit is, one can find a common ground through which one can use to explain them: God's (Holy) Spirit is connected to one's soul through one's spirit. It really is as simple as that and to try to complicate it is really not worth the time. We as humans tend to overanalyze things which are not for us to understand completely at this moment. Sometimes we just need to accept the fact that, in the end, we really know nothing about anything and that the mysteries of life are best left as mysteries.

And so, though it is my hope that one day we will understand all of the mysteries of life, it is my most sincere wish that we as humans not let the things which we cannot comprehend run our lives. Instead, we should enjoy the things which we have some control over like whether we are happy people or whether we are good parents or sons and daughters. Until the time comes for us to be able to understand all of life's mysteries, it is best to not go crazy trying to find meaning in everything only to end up finding out that we know absolutely nothing.

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