Cogito, Ergo Sum

 

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A person is composed of a mind and consciousness.

“Cogito, ergo sum, I think, therefore, I am.”

                               - René Descartes

Mind and Consciousness*

• Cognition: Your brain processes information, forms thoughts, remembers things, and uses reason.

• Self-Awareness: You can think about yourself, feel emotions, and exercise free will.

• Human Qualities: Traits like empathy, creativity, resilience, and a search for meaning help define the human experience.

A person is also composed of a physical body and genetic code: DNA consisting of 23 pairs of chromosomes.

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Sentio, ergo sum: I feel, therefore I am.

A person is also composed of personality traits and character traits, which together dictate how we feel, act, and process experiences.

Though we all have individual personalities and character traits, each person's combination is unique and can change over time with our varied experiences.

Personality*

• Definition: How you typically think, feel, and behave on a normal day.

• Traits: Extroverted, introverted, funny, quiet, energetic, or anxious.

• Origin: Shaped heavily by biology, inborn temperament, genetics, and daily habits.

• Moral Value: Morally neutral—having a loud or quiet personality does not make you a good or bad person.

• Visibility: Shows up immediately in first impressions and social interactions.

Character*

• Definition: Your moral and ethical core, built on values like honesty, integrity, loyalty, and courage.

• Traits: Honest, trustworthy, reliable, fair, or principled.

• Origin: Cultivated over time through choices, personal reflection, and overcoming natural impulses.

• Moral Value: Value-laden—character is explicitly judged as good or bad, right or wrong.

• Visibility: Revealed under pressure, during hard decisions, or when no one is watching.

Key Differences at a Glance*

• The Everyday vs. The Crisis:

Personality dictates how you act during a regular conversation; character dictates how you act when you are tempted, stressed, or faced with an ethical dilemma.

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Liberum arbitrium habeo, ergo spiritualis sum; I have free will; therefore, I am spiritual.

The Soul (or Spirit): The deeper, immaterial core of a person that provides identity, purpose, and a sense of connection. In many philosophical and spiritual traditions, the soul houses the will and the deeper self that survives beyond the physical body.*

The spirit represents the innermost part of a person that connects directly with God or the divine realm.*

• Function: It is the seat of intuition, conscience, and spiritual communion.*

• Etymology: Derived from Latin spiritus, meaning "breath of life" or vital principle.*

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Understanding who we are and what we are composed of helps us understand not only humanity and the world around us, but also our spiritual connections to the metaphysical world and the Holy.

However, what happens when we focus only on the physical body and the mundane, material world?

We become nothing.

Sine cogitatione, sine sensibus, sine anima, nihil sum, without thought, without feelings, without soul, I am nothing.

Therefore, keep seeking the spiritual connections and mindfulness that guide us to who we are and who the Lord meant for us to be.

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*Referenced from Google AI search.

 

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Have you learned to see with eyes of wisdom?

Or have you learned to see through the eyes of the Holy Spirit?

If not, how are you perceiving the world?

Through the eyes of manipulation, fear, hate, greed, selfish desires, power, or control?

Seeing through the eyes of the Holy Spirit means shifting your focus from natural circumstances to God’s spiritual truth, provision, and perspective.*

Before we can see with spiritual sight, we must remind individuals once again that spiritual sight is for the ones who seek it.

“And lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

Meaning: Do not block or override it with your own ignorance, power, force, or desires.

Key Practices for Spiritual Sight*

• Study the Word: The Bible acts as the primary light and map, training your mind to recognize God's truth over fear or doubt.

• Prayer and Asking: Intentionally ask God in prayer for revelation, wisdom, and the opening of your spiritual perception.

• Stillness and Expectation: Quiet your mind and tune out daily chaos so you can listen and notice inner impressions, peace, or divine insights.

• Consecration: Guard your eyes, ears, and thoughts by stepping away from media or habits that dull your spiritual awareness.

• Look Beyond the Natural: Practice viewing challenges, finances, or conflicts through the lens of God's promises and protection rather than physical limitations.

How you see the world determines your choices, and how the Lord sees you, as well as how aligned you are with the Holy Spirit, determines your ultimate fate: heaven or hell.

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*Referenced from a Google AI search: “See through the eyes of the Holy Spirit.”

 

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What have you learned about life, about yourself, about humanity, and about the Lord?  

Have you learned everything you can learn?

How do individuals learn?  

Key Themes of Learning*

• Curiosity: An intrinsic drive that sparks attention and deepens engagement with a topic.

• Sociality: Learning through community, observation, language, gestures, and interaction with others.

• Emotion: The close tie between feelings, attention, and memory, where a sense of care or positive attachment aids understanding.

• Authenticity: The need for real-world relevance and a sense of belonging to stay motivated.

• Failure: Using mistakes as critical feedback loops to adjust mental models and improve future performance.

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If you have closed yourself off to any of the key themes of learning, then you will cease to grow in knowledge and enlightenment, and will never discover the truth of yourself, the world, and the Lord.  

Nor will you discover the secrets within others, especially since you are closed off to learning anything from another and vice versa, they to you.

 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”      

                                   - Matthew 7:7

“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”

                                   - Matthew 7:8

    

Note:  This applies only to humble hearts seeking truthful answers.

The preceding scriptural passage, Matthew 7:6, states, “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.”

Does this passage mean dogs literally?  

No.  According to Google AI, the core meaning of this passage is as follows:

The "Pearls" and "Holy Things": These represent valuable spiritual truths, the Gospel, God's word, or deep godly wisdom.

The "Dogs" and "Pigs": In ancient Jewish culture, dogs and pigs were unclean, wild, or aggressive scavengers rather than domestic pets. They symbolize people who have hard hearts, radically reject truth, or hold hostility toward the gospel.

The Warning: Do not waste precious spiritual truth on people who show open malice, mockery, or zero capacity to value it. Doing so can lead to hostility where they attack or mock you in return. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

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When an individual becomes sinful and unholy, forsaking the Holy Spirit and all that is holy, this sinner aligns themselves with Satan and sin and is no longer part of the Lord's purpose and design.  

Depending on how far and how extreme those sins are, the less spiritual truths those sinners can follow and find within themselves and in humanity.  

Much like Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars, when he chose the path of power over the Jedi way, he became a Sith in aggression and manipulation, no longer a self-controlled and sensitive Jedi.

Ultimately, you cannot save those who do not wish to be saved.

And you cannot teach those to fish who do not wish to learn to fish. 

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*Referenced from Google AI search: “How do human beings learn?”

 

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Way of peace quotes from the Tao Te Ching:  

"Simplicity, patience, compassion. 

These three are your greatest treasures. 

Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. 

Patient with both friends and enemies, you accord with the way things are. 

Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world.”

"To return to the root is to find peace. To find peace is to fulfill one's destiny.”

"If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart.”

"If you close your mind in judgments and traffic with desires, your heart will be troubled. 

If you keep your mind from judging and aren't led by the senses, your heart will find peace.”

"Only simple and quiet words will ripen.  

For a whirlwind does not last a whole morning. 

Nor does a sudden shower last a whole day.”

 

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Was the Tao Te Ching written before or after The Art of War?

Both the Tao Te Ching and The Art of War were compiled during roughly the same historical period—the Warring States period (475–221 BCE)—and scholars continue to debate their exact chronology.*

However, contemporary scholarship generally regards them as overlapping or approximately contemporaneous works produced during the same turbulent era:*

• The Art of War: Traditionally attributed to Sun Tzu, who is said to have lived in the 6th century BCE (544–496 BCE), the existing text is dated by many modern historians to the later Warring States period (475–221 BCE).

• The Tao Te Ching:

Traditionally attributed to Laozi, who is said to have lived in the 6th century BCE, the core of the text and its earliest excavated fragments, including the Guodian Chu slips, are dated by modern archaeological and scholarly research to the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE (mid-to-late Warring States period).

Because both texts developed from oral traditions or multi-author compilations during the 4th and 3rd centuries BCE, historians cannot definitively determine which was written first.*

What are the main philosophical differences between Daoist non-action (wu wei) and Sun Tzu's military strategy?

Taoism seeks peace and spiritual harmony, whereas Sun Tzu’s teachings focus on political survival and military victory.*

Although both emphasize harmony with nature and achieving results with minimal effort, wu wei is fundamental to Taoism.*

🔍 A Closer Look at Effortless Wu Wei.*

1. The Meaning of "Effortlessness"

• Taoism: Wu wei doesn’t literally mean doing nothing. It refers to acting without friction, forced effort, or artificial cleverness. It’s the art of yielding—like water adapting its course around a rock—to maintain inner peace.

• Sun Tzu: Effortlessness serves as a tactical tool.

Sun Tzu applies the fluid nature of water to warfare ("warfare is like water, which avoids the high and hastens to the low"). However, the apparent ease of victory is achieved through thorough preparation, deception, and undermining the enemy’s will.

2. Deception and Authenticity

• Taoism: Taoism emphasizes authenticity, simplicity (pu), and transparency. Deception is seen as creating cosmic imbalance and distancing people from the Tao.

• Sun Tzu: He states that "all warfare is based on deception." In his view, manipulating perceptions, hiding strengths, and pretending weakness are crucial strategies for protecting the state.

3. Subduing and Dissolving the Enemy

• Taoism: Taoism aims to dissolve the concept of an "enemy" by viewing all things as interconnected parts of a unified whole.

• Sun Tzu: His approach maintains a clear distinction between oneself and the enemy. His goal is to overcome the enemy's resistance—ideally without fighting—through psychological warfare, breaking alliances, and attacking the enemy’s strategy.

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It’s notable that both philosophies arose roughly at the same time, over 2,500 years ago.

They are fundamentally different: one focuses on spiritual enlightenment, while the other concentrates on political and military conflict and the means to achieve victory amid endless warfare and psychological struggles, as seen during the Warring States period, which lasted 254 years.

One tradition transcends its historical context and remains relevant for spiritual practice today. 

The other, if followed, could lead to the same disasters that plagued the states during the Warring States period.  Despite many victories in battle, the high costs of warfare and the notion of winning through self-imposed, perpetual, and prolonged psychological warfare on self and others- making enemies of neighboring states and depleting treasuries- leaving itself vulnerable to conquest by rivals, which is what happened to the state in which Sun Tzu served, eventually conquered by a neighboring state. 

*Referenced from Google AI search.