NURTURE THE SPIRIT

The body needs food and physical action to keep its health. In the same way, the spirit must be nurtured and kept. What is the food of the spirit? Impressions and experiences shape it and acts of will temper and strengthen it. But this food us subtle and hard to observe, so it is often ignored and despised. A man may walk ten miles to find a doctor that may heal his finger or his ear, but he refuses to search for a teacher or follow a discipline, even if his soul is ill and numb. A man will certainly refuse rotten food, and he will cover his nose and mouth if going past a place if foul smells. And yet, he will not refuse to join in shameful acts and adopt degrading behaviors. How subtle is the way to nurture the spirit, and what tragedy it is to fail to do so properly.

Our body and our spirit both need daily nutrition. Just as our body can become malnourished and weakened,  our spirit can become weakened as well and we feel a void in our lives.