“Body” by Percival Everett has got me thinking. It’s a poem about the human body that is very formal and unnerving. He uses scientific terms to describe the inner structure of a human, which is disgusting. It’s interesting that I have this aversion to the anatomy of people. Specifically, I’m often repulsed at the many bodily fluids and processes that are part of what it means to be human. Of course, this includes my own as I’m no hypocrite. The vulgar and crude nature of mine and other’s existence is something I’ve always struggled to accept.
It’s perplexing to me that I find people attractive, but consider the act of sex quite distasteful. Perhaps that makes me different from other people my age. Nevertheless, Everett’s poems about the Copora Cavernosa and Labia Majora capture, through the language used, the feeling I’m trying to get across. Although these pieces are obviously sexual in nature, there both a little off-putting. When reading these two works, I didn’t find them funny or intriguing, which are the typical responses for most when referencing these body parts-I honestly found it cringy. I’m not trying to praise abstinence here, I’m just attempting to get people to look at sex through the lens of reason. This is nearly impossible for people, myself included. I like to think of it this way: If an alien were to witness humans having sex, would it not be utterly sickened? I think it would, and I couldn’t really blame the thing.
The other big idea I took away from the poem is the idea of the soul. Am I just a collection of physical parts working together, or is there something more? I believe I have a soul. However, I find it hard to explain why I think that way. What is a soul? The dictionary defines it as the “spiritual or immaterial part of a human being.” It’s the mental capabilities of a human such as consciousness and perception. I agree with the idea that my soul and body are one. They are obviously intertwined as they impact each other all the time. If I were to not exercise at all and/or eat nothing at all, my psyche would suffer. Following this idea, I suppose it’s possible that it can break down and stop working just like any other part of the body. Thus, mental illness is explained.
We are spiritual beings with high intellects when compared to all other natural life on earth. Yet, however superior we consider ourselves to be, we still fall victim to visceral desire and lust easily. It can be said that the mind or soul should be founded in reason, but that is rarely the case. This battle for the soul concerning emotion or logical thought is interesting. We all have a choice between the two, and that decision greatly impacts how you live your life.