What is Trichotomy? The Facilitator / Part 10

It has been my goal in the last few months to harmonize the threefold nature of man through a Christian and a humanistic perspective. I stated that understanding our makeup is an essential first step to a successful and productive life. I have been examining the segments of the trichotomy with some details. The first 'In" of the threefold is called Instinctive. In my last blog I had listed numerous traits affiliated with Instincts. Today I will focus on the second ‘In’ - Intelligence. Some may say that we are living proof that there’s no intelligence life in the universe, however I digress. Our central filter; the intelligence which can also be refered as our soul, has an amazing purpose. But before I share this purpose, I am fully aware that many believe that men are divided in two segments and not three as I and many others claim. They break it down to two parts; the animal (instinctive creature) and the celestrial (high moral creature). The names may vary but they are essentially the same. All that really matters is that they believe that there’s two parts (dichotomy) to man.

"Can we trust the physical to
make a moral decision? Can
we trust the spiritual to
surrender to an instinct?"

Let me tell you my problem with dichotomy; it’s wrong! If we are govern by two sides which one leads and which one ‘stands down’. Which sides determines the outcome. And would not this unilateral arrangement favour a side? How can we strive for harmony and balance between the physical and spiritual when one side holds veto power? Can we trust the physical to make a moral decision? Can we trust the spiritual to surrender to an instinct? It is obvious that we need a middle ground, a center which can reason both sides. We need a facilitator.

What is Trichotomy? The Animal in Us / Part 9

As promised, I will now examined each segment of the trichotomy with greater details. The first 'In" of the threefold is called Intuition. In my last blog I had listed numerous traits for every segment. Today, however I will focus on the right side of the table - the physical.

Survival / Self Preservation	Survival is limited to oneself or self-interest (kin)
5 Senses	See - hear -smell - taste - feel ( neurological-network) Instinctive
Pleasure / Pain Driven	Top and bottom - no in between. Safe or unsafe. Good or bad. Fight or flight.
Fear	Short-term fear (reacting and not contemplative) Primitive emotion - not a true emotion. All animals have this type of fear. However contemplative fear is another story.
Singularity	All about "ME"
Self-Reliant	Seek no assistance. Managing on their own
Independent	Tends to lead and　rebel
Personalize	Leaves his/her signature of life on everything. Everything must be about him. Ego-centric to perfectionism
Disassociates	Recluse / Hermit - seek no socialization.
Self-Serving	Serves one cause - himself.
Animal	Primitive creature

Without the mental or the spiritual, we are reduced to a primitive creature. We must be properly balance in the trichotomy but as humans we experience pitfalls from time to time. This does not negate responsibility of our actions.

What is Trichotomy? Intelligence and the Holy Place / Part 6

THE PHYSICAL, MENTAL, AND SPIRITUAL

After classifying the human trichotomy in three segments; Instinct, Intelligence, and Intuition - I proceeded in detailing the first segment (instinct) and correlating it to the outer court of the biblical temple.

Today we move on to Intelligence, associating it with the Holy Place of the temple. Intelligence is motivated by the need to reason. It comprises of Intellect: the faculty of reasoning and learning objectively, esp. with regard to abstract or academic matters. Memories resides here - Emotions: is the catalyst to direct or indirect action - Will: is the apparent ability through reasoning to make free choices. It should be noted that there are some that believe that free will is not free at all. They believe that it is a mix of chance and determination. I argue that chance and determination do exist but only as an agent of possible influence. In other words they can have an impact to my choice but I chose to let this happen.

In the example I used two lessons ago, I stated that you had a house nestled in a thick forest. The first year in your new house, you experienced a fire for the first time of your life. In that scenario you didn't have any experiences to draw from so you ventured out to investigate the fire. Your neuro-net lit up as you approach the fire and you instictively reacted and fled to safety. Now in this second scenario, you observe another forest fire but on the north side of your property. This time you will not go out to investigate. You draw from an earlier experience, absorbing the panic you felt, the heat that discomforted you and you make an assessment. You decided to take action. Go to a safer place until the fire passes. You collated past events and applied intelligent reasoning. Your will is what seperates action from reaction. It also collates information from your spiritual (conscience) side. The Intelligence is the crossroad between the physical and the spiritual. It should harbour a healthy balance between both areas.

What is Trichotomy? - The Three In’s / Part 4

As mentioned on an earlier blog, Dr. Carl Jung was a prominent psychiatrist and counsidered to be the founder of analytical psychology. He is best known for his theory of the Collective Unconscious. Dr. Jung noted that the human psyche could be categorize into three segments; our ego which can be translated as being our conscious mind; our personal unconscious which refers to the unconscious mind; and our collective unconscious which refers to an obscurred source of collective knowledge. Jung postulates that collective unconsciousness has an unseen connection between one soul to another and additionally, it has a link to a higher order of intelligence.

Many other beliefs and theories have spawn from Dr. Jung’s work, and others in this field. Simply put, humans draw from their three internal sources to assess or react to an event. I classify these three inner mechanisms as Instinct, Intelligence, and Intuition. Permit me to demonstrate the inner working. I will convey three scenarios with minute differences in order to address each mechanism.

• INSTINCT:  You have purchase a house nestled in a thick forest. In the first year you witness a forest fire on the west side. Now in this scenario, you have never experienced fire. You have lived a sheltered life. So when you observe fire for the first time and being at a safe distance, the fire is non threatening to you. In fact it’s esthetically pleasing. Of course this all changes when you decide to get a closer look. The heat from the fire lights up your senses and your neuro-net, consequently you react. Your frightened and you flee for safety. There was no reasoning. It was an instinctive reaction. A matter of self-preservation;