Boundaries for the Body, Mind, and Soul
by Sergio Simon
I believe that boundaries have been with us our entire lives--from cradle to casket. There are many different boundaries, set up for broad or narrow reasons; but they exist. With examination, three distinct sets of boundaries come to mind; physical, mental and spiritual. Physical deals with the body's safety and health. Mental incorporates imagination, knowledge and skills. Meanwhile the spiritual part is somewhat a wildcard. Just like a cell these boundaries give us self-identity, protection and they typically regulate our everyday experiences.
In my life, the regulations physical boundaries were hammered into my brain early. "Do not play in the streets." As a child I probably did not understand the complete danger of traffic, or how easy it is to make a mistake with traffic, but I generally obeyed and I am alive. In high school football physical boundaries exist everywhere constantly. It is a constant test to forget everything anyone told you about breaking things, or getting hurt; in football you must detach yourself from almost all safety and health concerns for the game. In this sense football plays a part in the selective permeability of my membrane, shutting it all down, letting it all in. Recently I am learning that what I eat plays a huge role in my safety and health. As a kid I thought I could masticate anything, as long as it tasted good. Well now I realize that if eat McDonald's, I am killing myself;
so I regulate what goes in, and analyze what comes out. Like a cell craving tonicity, my body craves balance. Unlike a cell however, I will not burst or shrivel if I am not at ideal tonicity. As a very general statement I would say most physical boundaries are beneficial.
Mental boundaries are interesting because I do not know if they can be self recognized or not. When I was younger my imagination could run wild for hours by myself. Those boundaries were small. As a teenager I began to pay close attention to the things happening in the world, and things near me. This gave me knowledge which I used in conversations. During the present I am trying to learn skills from college and use them each as a weapon for my future. I look at it like a martial artist, every skill or fact is beneficial, they all may be used in the future or none; but I want to be ready. Learning is comparable to endocytosis in that it is not instant, and it must be absorbed. Learning in class is more like pinocytosis in which facts and ideas are presented like molecules on a cell wall. Depending on my level of comprehension the facts will change the shape of my "mind" and enter, thus becoming learned. The more I learn the smaller my boundaries become. In general I would say that the most damaging parts to mental boundaries are stubbornness, close-mindedness, and ignorance.
Spiritual boundaries seem to arise from religion or mottos or a lack thereof. In many religions the boundary of abstinence until marriage is introduced early. In middle school at Phoenix Christian High School I remember signing a document of abstinence, making a promise to myself and God. I also remember that I had no intention to follow through, but I did not know how to protest that, so I signed. I have heard other stories such as this. Recently I have gone to a more relaxed version of spirituality whereas I just try to do my best with people. I try to treat everyone as if they have been my friend since forever, not like they look or smell. Modestly a collection of churches can be seen as interacting cell surfaces. The basic goal of them to organize communications and build strength in numbers, however I am sure there are gap junctions between them where members may go to an affiliate's service or whatnot. Generally spiritual boundaries are good for us, unless they are misconstrued or violent. If a religion teaches hate or perpetuated violence, then most of its followers will behave accordingly.
So yes, those are the boundaries I face and interact with on a daily basis. Thankfully I have no major ones or detrimental ones.