What is "Self"?

How do you understand the meaning of “self”? How does that differ from “soul” or “spirit”?

Re: What is "Self"?

To me, “self” is an aggregate term. I see the “self” as encompassing the spirit, mind and body, and the relationships between the three equal parts.

I think all parts of the self must be understood and honored equally to achieve a balanced life. People seem to speak of the body as sort of a second-class citizen in the self game (i.e., attending to purely physical needs and desires is somehow less worthwhile than spiritual/emotional/intellectual pursuits).

The metaphysical is not somehow “better” than the physical – for me it’s all rolled up in one great lovely ball, and it’s all good.

Re: What is "Self"?

I agree with DocSavage on this point - especially that our mind, body, and soul are equal. I further believe that peace can be achieved by integrating the three into a single conscious entity which understands the motives and actions of each other.

Psychology likes to claim that these conflicting “selves” are the id, ego, super-ego.
Religion may refer to this as the two-halves, the shadow-self, and so on.
Recently, Animals in Translation brought about the idea that our inner-conflicts arise from literal inner conflicts among three brains that evolved over each other: the reptilean brain, the animal brain, and the human brain.

Aside from these, to me, the self is like a drop in an ocean. It is unknown and irrelevent which drop is named what, or contributed what, to the beautiful wave that breaks the surface and sustains the life below - all that matters is that each drop works together with the others, instead of trying to figure out how it is better than or special from the rest. Every one is necessary, but everyone must also understand and respect the need for everyone else.

Re: What is "Self"?

What I think of as my “self” is that part of me that is behind my normal consciousness, somehow managing or directing my experience here.  It is what will be left after I die and have shed the body and the personality that I inhabited while in the world.  It is the observer, who ultimately is experiencing creation through the temperal existence of the person/ego Rob.