Things to Prepare Before Retirement Funds: 'The Body is the Vehicle of the Soul'

This morning, the moment I lifted one leg to put on my sock, I stumbled and had to lean against the wall.

Even though no one was watching, I felt a little embarrassed for some reason.

At sixty-two, my legs and lower back teach me the reality of things before my soul does.

When I was young, I hardly ever thought about my body.

Being able to walk was a given.

Being able to run was a given.

Being able to run up stairs was also a given.

But lately, it is different.

When I stand up, I find myself saying 'heave-ho'.

I used to look at older people and think,

'Why do they make that sound?'

Now I understand.

That is a shout of determination.

It seems that as people gain life experience, they start to use the power of words to help them stand up.

Thinking about such things, I go to the pool a few times a week.

It is not so much to swim, but to maintain a body that can still move.

If it were the old me, I would say,

For the sake of my health.

To resolve my lack of exercise.

That is what I would have said.

I believe that is how I explained it.

However, my way of thinking has changed a little recently.

The catalyst for this was a certain phrase.

'The body is a vehicle for the soul.'

When I looked it up later, I found that this idea was surprisingly old.

In ancient Greek Neoplatonism, it was believed that the human soul possesses a vehicle called an 'okhema' to travel through this world. Okhema means 'vehicle' or 'carrier' and is the medium that connects the soul and the body. It is said that the soul descends into this world riding that vehicle in order to experience the journey of life.

Furthermore, this idea has been inherited in various forms in later mystical and religious thought. The body is not a cage that traps the soul, but a vessel, a home, and a vehicle for experiencing the world.

I am neither a philosopher nor a theologian.

But now that I am in my sixties, I cannot help but feel that this old metaphor has a strange persuasiveness.

When I was young, I thought it was a bit of an exaggerated expression.

Even when people spoke of souls or spirits, it felt unrealistic to me.

However, now that I have reached my sixties, this phrase looks a little different.

A vehicle is a means of transportation.

No matter how much you want to go somewhere, if the vehicle is broken, you cannot reach your destination.

No matter how much you want to see beautiful scenery, it is meaningless if you cannot head there.

Thinking about it that way, perhaps the body is the same.

I have always liked a certain way of thinking.

The human soul originally exists in a perfect world.

There, everything is fulfilled and everything is understood.

But because it is perfect, there is no growth.

That is why the soul dons an imperfect body and comes to this world.

To know joy.

To know failure.

To know sorrow.

And to grow.

Of course, I do not know if that is true.

It is not a story that can be proven.

But I do not dislike this way of thinking.

If that is the case, the body is not merely flesh.

It becomes a vehicle for the soul to travel through the world.

To go on a journey.

To go look for books.

To go meet someone.

To swim.

To learn.

To create.

To volunteer.

None of these can begin unless the body moves first.

When I was young, I thought that if I had money, I could be free.

Of course, money is still important even now.

Retirement funds are likely necessary, too.

Pensions are also important.

But recently, I have started thinking a little differently.

No matter how much money you have, you cannot use it if your body does not move.

You cannot travel.

You cannot go to art museums.

You cannot enjoy your hobbies.

You cannot meet the people you want to see.

That would be a bit lonely.

That is why, lately, I have stopped thinking of exercise as merely a health regimen.

I believe that maintaining a body that can move is about maintaining the possibilities of life.

Looking back, that was the case when I started using note.

It was the same when I started using AI.

Creating music, writing novels, and continuing to swim are all the same.

It was not knowledge that changed my life.

It was not logic, either.

It was the act of moving.

Life does not change just by thinking in front of a computer.

Step outside.

Head to the pool.

I will try writing an article.

I will go to meet someone.

Perhaps reigniting one's life is, after all, about regaining the 'power to move'.

That is why I am heading to the pool again today.

The butterfly stroke is as difficult as ever.

My knees ache a little on the way home.

But the vehicle is still moving.

That alone is not bad at all.

#60s
#ReignitingLife
#Exercise
#Health
#RetirementFunds
#WayOfLife
#Essay
#Swimming
#Relearning
#PowerToMove