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### Lesson 3: The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit People often associate this feeling with the symbol of the heart. Many believe that the heart is the center of feelings of love and affection, as love seems to cause the heart to flutter or beat faster. Scientists, however, consider love a result...

### Lesson 3: The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit People often associate this feeling with the symbol of the heart. Many believe that the heart is the center of feelings of love and affection, as love seems to cause the heart to flutter or beat faster. Scientists, however, consider love a result of various biological reactions associated with an increase of hormones, which have certain effects on the body. Some even identify a part of the brain, the hypothalamus, as responsible for the feelings we associate with being in love. Philosophers, on the other hand, argue that reducing a profound experience such as love to biological functions or the activities of certain body parts is absurd. We love not just with the heart nor with the brain, but we love another person with our entire being. Embodiment, therefore, is the one thing that enables us to feel love and love others. Our experience is also a product of embodiment. The human mind processes information through the senses, which are experienced through the body. Aside from perceiving our surroundings, we also react to the things we experience emotionally. Most of our meaningful experiences are often closely tied to emotions such as happiness, anger, or sadness. If you are to recall a happy moment in your life, you not only remember the people you were with and the events that happened at that moment, you also feel the happiness you felt at that moment. The human body also stands as the mediator between the material world and the spiritual world. Being an embodied spirit, the person is able to encounter the world of objects (including other personal subjects) in a manner that transcends the physical. This feature of the person allows him or her to form an intimate relationship with those outside him or her. Human embodiment allows persons to attach certain feelings or ideas not only to people, but also to objects. For example, a pair of rubber slippers may not mean much to most people, but a particular pair of rubber slippers could be someone's treasure. How is this possible? Because the pair of rubber slippers in question is not just a material object to someone, but it could be something meaningful as a present from a loved one. With human embodiment, physical acts are no longer purely physical acts, because the body conveys something from a person's inner world. These emotions and ideas are given to another person who, because of interiority, recognizes the thoughts that the other wishes to convey. This explains why people who are in love with each other seem to communicate effortlessly without words. The mere act of "holding hands" conveys a powerful message between lovers, as it is through this act that they can express their affection toward each other. A smile from a stranger will not elicit a reaction from you, but a smile from your crush will immediately cause an intense emotional reaction in you. A pat on the shoulder may mean a lot to a person if it comes from someone he or she looks up to. These examples show that it is through embodiment that a person is able to have a very unique relationship with the world. And it is this unique relationship that defines us as humans.