by Leon Miller
People are involved in a life endeavor that is aesthetic in nature. They endeavor to make their life into a beautiful experience.
[Michael Foucault]
In most cultures people make some type of reference to having soul. One of the most popular examples has to do with reference to the innermost essence of a person. Soul is also mentioned in reference to those who act whole-heartedly and express themselves from the depth of their being. Such people are said to act and/or express themselves with their heart and soul, which means with sincerity, integrity, and authenticity. However, people also refer to someone with whom they have a deep bond as their soulmate. And this is usually thought of as being connected at the deepest level of being, opening up to the deepest level of one’s being, and expressing oneself with heartfelt sincerity. And the list goes on to include soulful artists, soul music, a soul brother or soul sister, and a person who has realized their full potential, which means he or she is experiencing the holistic integration of the body, mind, and soul. Such people, according to Humanistic Psychology, are said to be experiencing self-actualization.
But interestingly, people referring to soul seldom try to specify or describe exactly what having soul means. However, despite the vagueness, you usually have an intuitive sense that it has to do with individuals expressing their inner essence (i.e., the depth of their being) in their relationships and life expressions. You understand that it is something special and that it is a preferred quality, but it is also a quality that could be lacking, which, if it is lacking, you would realize that the quality of the relationship or the experience would be diminished. For example, to compare it to a soulmate, if you think in terms of having a special connection or deep bond with a significant other that you describe as your soulmate, wouldn’t you say that your soulmate connects you to something deep in your innermost being that is longing to be experienced. Would you say that, in this sense, those who are able to experience such a deep bond with a significant other are indeed fortunate and that such an experience is preferred?
By reflecting on how the term is used in most contexts you realize that soulfulness has to do with expressing oneself wholeheartedly, performing actions with total sincerity, and that such expressions stem from one’s deeper inner life. For example, to have soul as an artist means that one’s artistic talents are coupled with expressing with deep emotion, genuineness, and with a connection to one’s inner self, which are the outcome of a deep devotion to developing one’s artistry over a long period of time. These qualities touch the audience deeply, which arouses something in their inner being. It involves more than producing a work of art where technical skill and mastery are clearly evident; it includes expressing oneself in ways that have a deeper significance thus impresses because of more than technical artistry. By reflecting on the difference between technically good music and music that touches and soothes the soul you begin to sense what it means to have soul. In other words, by reflecting on the difference between good art and art that touches you at the deeper level of your being, you realize that soulfulness involves both aesthetics and ethics. Aesthetics is involved, not only because aesthetics is defined as the principles of beauty and good taste but because aesthetics involves beautiful creations that ennoble, enrich, and elevate the human experience. Ethics is involved because of the connection between soulfulness, goodness, and acts of integrity. This includes acting with your whole being and full commitment. In addition, aesthetics and ethics are involved because aesthetics and ethics are often explained in terms of their connection to Goodness, Beauty, and Truth (as is emphasized in both classical and contemporary literature). However, if we describe goodness, beauty, and truth in terms of what it means to have soul then Goodness results from life expressions that stem from inner qualities such as integrity, sincerity, and authenticity. There is a connection between Beauty and aesthetics because the artistic expression transcends superficiality and resonates deeply with others through profound inner qualities that create a lasting impression on the heart and mind. And Truth because such expressions reflect a validity and/or reliability that is timeless.
When you think about how soulfulness is expressed in art and music it can be thought of as the manifestation of a quality the artist has developed that is expressed in ways that enrich the lives of others. Such art can even have an elevating, inspirational, and ennobling effect. Take, for example, the music of Chopin (especially his Nocturne op. 9, No. 2). Chopin’s music clearly expresses what aesthetics means or, in other words, what is beautiful in aesthetic terms. Chopin’s music arouses strong feelings, a sense of serenity, and a state of reverie. It can put you in a state of mind that is very calm and peaceful, seemingly undisturbed by the harsh realities one can be confronted with in this life. However, when a musical expression draws deeply from the human experience it comes closer to music that is soulful. Take for example the art of Béla Bartók, he was able to blend elements of the soul of the human experience into his classical style. This sense of soulfulness that expresses something deep in the human experience is also evident in The Song of the Volga Boatmen (performed by The National Tatarstan Orchestra in 2003). This folk piece expresses something in the human spirit that enables “a people” to face and effectively manage the challenges they are confronted with in life. In other words, soulfulness is the reflection of a sentiment that is rooted deep in the soul of humanity, something of the essence of human spirit, and it reflects something in the essence of one’s own being. Or, to put it in other words, soulful artists express sentiments that have been felt and shared by humanity for thousands of years, they remind us of the importance of living in harmony with nature, living in peace, and the importance of expressions that stem from the soul.
Most people recall that in their cultural experience some reference was made to having soul. And, as stated above, reference to soul is often made in connection with those who express themselves wholeheartedly (i.e., heart and soul) and expressions that stem from an inner essence. However, probably more important to the quality of personal, community, cultural, and social life is what it means for individuals to “express soulfulness” as an aspect of their character. A good example is a person who is characterized as a soul brother or sister. Referring to someone as a soul brother or soul sister means he or she is a kindred spirit, but in the sense of sharing thoughts and feelings about our common socio-cultural experience or the common challenges we are facing in life. A soul brother or a soul sister can be someone you regard as a friend. But not a friend in the usual sense of someone you socialize with in your free time. This type of friendship engages you at a higher level of consciousness and at a deeper level of being—in terms of demanding a commitment to a “higher cause”. It also involves a higher level of awareness, especially in terms of social and political awareness. A soul brother or soul sister is comfortable with just being his or her natural self and relating to others in a way that breaks down pretentiousness, thus demanding from the relationship that you “keep it real”. In this respect, a soul brother or soul sister would also admonish you to “keep the faith”. Therefore, it is a type of friendship that reminds you to think and act in ways that are culturally and socially progressive. Having such a deep bond with another male or female means being of one mind, one heart, and one soul.
A soul brother or soul sister could be someone you are only acquainted with but do not know in a way that you would call friendship. Or it could even be someone you don’t know at all but admire because they have the traits or characteristics of a soul brother or soul sister. In this sense, although you don’t know the person, you identify with him or her because of a particular quality the person portrays—the person portrays having soul. You recognize that person as a kindred spirit and, regardless of how well you know the person, there is a sense of connectedness. Thus, it can also represent an intangible bond you have with others in the culture or society. Regardless of gender, socio-economic status, and educational differences, having soul is a factor that establishes a type of solidarity. A person that has soul has acquired “knowledge of the self”, which provides him or her with an inner power and resilience that cannot be diminished by the social reality he or she faces. The soulful person stresses that “knowledge of self” enables you to effectively manage all the obstacles and challenges you are confronted with in society because of gender, economic status, race, or age while, at the same time, you are able to continually move toward being the best that you can be. Such a person has a liberating effect on society and the activities the person engages in improves the quality of life in the communities they are a part of.
Thus, there is also a connection between aesthetics and ethics that involves “the art of living”. The art of living involves mastering the ability to turn one’s life into a beautiful experience, which is reflected in terms of goodness (i.e., natural pristine humanness, sincerity and integrity, and expressing with one’s whole being—body, mind, and soul), beauty (i.e., a quality that lies far beyond superficiality; just as the true beauty of a flower lies far beyond the surface and reflects something of a transcendent quality that is manifest through form), and truth (i.e., insight proven to have a validity and reliability that endures the test of time). The most respected wisdom literature of the East and West refers to mastering the art of living as acquiring self-knowledge, “the aesthetics of the self” and the art of self-making, which inclines a person to act in his or her best interest and experience the highest good. The art of living refers to the ethical aspects of deliberate self-mastery, where individuals treat their lives as a work of art, and express themselves in ways that indicate the full integration of their body, mind, and soul. In this sense, soulfulness can be thought of as a primordial force of creation that inclines individuals to express themselves in art, music, and relationships in ways that touch the innermost being of others and awakens in others their sense of pristine humanness or naturalness (i.e., awakens a sense of what it means express the best human qualities), and motivates them to continuously express themselves in terms of goodness, aesthetically, and honestly. Thus, soulfulness becomes evident when the person maintains his or her natural pristine humanness despite the conditions and circumstances of life. Individuals who have developed and expressed the quality of soulfulness are a testimony to the fact that although we are living in very complex and challenging social conditions something of the best qualities of humanity can still be cultivated, nourished, and preserved. This can have an emancipating or liberating effect on those who encounter this influence. So, when you think about your family, your people, your culture, and your society wouldn’t it better if we could all say, “we are developing and expressing our unique soulfulness”? Or, in other words, wouldn’t it be better to say that not only do we, as a people, have talent but, as well, to proclaim that we are a people who express ourselves and relate to each other wholeheartedly (i.e., with heart and soul), which could actually contribute to elevating the life experience of the people of our nation?