An essay donated by Michael Levy
Soul Searching ... Why Not Bring in the Clones?

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Most people looking for success on planet earth with only a physical-
self - image of who they be-lie-ve themselves to be, may never locate
true success, no matter how much money they accumulate and how much
notoriety they achieve ... At best, they may earn a lot of money, big house,
big car and a big identity crisis later in life, when the so called luxuries
no longer satisfy their desire. Lamentable are the folks who are
distinguished by the whole world and yet strangers to their true selves.
Therefore, how about we do some soul searching in an different way from
norm, pinpointing answers that will elude most people dwelling in a
scientific, hi-tech, media driven world.
Controversy abounds over the science of cloning human beings. Scientists
have successfully cloned sheep and other animals, therefore it can only be a
matter of time before we have walking, talking replicas of ourselves. I am
not getting into the ethics or the morality of cloning, for that will be a
debate that will rage for a long time to come. Science and religion have
always been at loggerheads with each other. Too any wars are caused by
strong beliefs that rely on the ego's view of the world. The more people
seek truth, the more it seems to elude them.
The question asked here is; will clones have a soul? I guess the answer
all depends on how we define a soul and who we think we are. It is a deep
probing questions and many philosophers of the past have come up with a
variety of answers as to the identity of a soul, but humanity as a whole has
not settled on any meaningful answers to date that will satisfy everyone.
Indeed, can an answer be found that will satisfy everyone? Well, how
about we look into the future with one scenario;
An atheist by the name of Will is fifty years old ... accordingly would
you say Will has a soul? If you ask him he will say no, because he does not
recognize any image of God, that has been cultivated by other people, as his
reality, however that does not necessarily mean God does not exist in Will's
world, by another description unknown to Will. Likewise, Will the atheists
may not know if a soul is his true identity when he see himself in the
mirror of life as just flesh and blood.
Will is very wealthy and decides he would like a clone made of himself so
his image. A clone is composed and is physically identical to how Will looks
in the natural. The clone studies hard, becomes very religious and becomes a
priest. Does the minister not have a soul ... Can religious people say God
is going to disown the clergyman because his human double does not believe
in souls and he has not been born naturally? Is Will, the atheist, the same
as the "Will," the clone apart from their beliefs?
What about the advancement with microchips? Very soon we will have robots
that can think for themselves. Maybe solar powered, or they may even be
powered by inhaling oxygen. Science fiction is fast becoming science
reality. Androids may well look just like humans, but that is artificial
life and a machine may not have a soul –– or will it?
It may well be the machines are made exactly like humans in every detail,
with live cells that have the ability to acquire the means to access
universal intelligence in the same manner as naturally born humans (although
most well educated human beings on planet earth will disagree that they have
that ability). Radical thoughts are possible sometime in the future as
science fiction becomes scientific reality.
Now more than ever folks need to understand who they are and the reason
they exist. If humans go through life with no idea of who they truly are,
they will get more and more lost in the high-tech revolution. Humanity
requires a truthful, sound, solid foundation upon which they build their
lives
Every life-form is energized by something so why not celebrate universal
intelligent energy, that encompasses love & joy and acknowledge it as a
soul.
Therefore, if we characterize our life's energy as soul, a clone with a
life-force will be energized by a soul once the breath of life infuses the
body. To reiterate, the life-force, the true identity of all life forms is
the soul, which is another name for intelligent energy manifesting love &
joy. As time goes by, we may not be able to distinguish who was born and who
is a clone.
Spirit is another name humans use that has many definitions and can
describe anything that is not in the physical. Why not call the source that
forms intelligent energy, that is in all life, spirit. Religious, pious
folks, may think their religion has an exclusive contract with the spirit of
their God. They may feel anger and hatred towards the thoughts of cloned
human, However, if they cannot distinguish a clone from a naturally created
human they have nothing to fear.
Many folks who do not understand what intelligent energy is may declare a
clone has no soul therefore is not really human. Many religious folks think
they are superior to a dog or cat when it come to Gods creations and believe
a soul is located solely somewhere in the human brain. They may well believe
animals don't possess a soul, however if they possess intelligent energy,
how can they not have a soul if it is defined as a life source?
Blind faith dogma has been programmed in humans for thousands of years.
That could be why many religious folks can't be happy. They say in the
afterlife is where they will find heavenly peace. They believe God is
exclusively in their camp of ownership, in the same manner they safeguard
their personal possessions ... their be-lie-f system detaches them by
denomination from other human be-lie-fs, that are also mostly misinterpreted
pathways to God and all other species of life.
Some folks even go so far as to think some other humans are not in God's
camp at all. Many different tribes of thought, lined up in divisions of
ego's blind thinking and so much time wasted worrying and hating others ...
Millions of people slaughtered by religious dogma and what has it proven,
other than the fact that human beings are still living in realms of
primitive ignorance.
Oh! by the way, did I mention genetic engineering? I heard today they can
put genes in our foods to make us fit and well. Maybe also to control our
minds in case we feel like rioting against the clones? Some doctors, who
be-lie-ve they know best, because they have academic papers to prove it,
pressure children at school with high spirits, to take mind dulling drugs
that can become addictive and educe devastating side effects.
On another note, athletes are experimenting with all kinds of stuff to
make them compete faster. One-hundredth of a second can mean the difference
of big money sponsorship, and athletes will try anything to make themselves
winners. The latest thing I read was wasp juice from the larvae of killer
hornets gives a big boost. Some seek a menu of caterpillar fungus, seal
penis and extract of sea horse. How lip-smackingly scrumptious!
With such competition in sports, it will not be long before gene therapy
is introduced and injected into sports folk. We will be able to tailor-make
our bodies. Maybe we will re-manufacture a human being to suit a trend...
Maybe we will become designer beings in the same manner we fashion cloths.
Stem cells, which are cloned cells, may be injected into humans to fight
disease... Does this mean they will lose their soul because the cells are
cloned? The possibilities of modern science boggles the mind. The cures for
many diseases maybe just a few years away... No illness means longer lives.
Can the planet cope with a population explosion?
This is just a brief glimpse into the future. What do you think folks
would say who lived two hundred years ago and could comment on today's
lifestyles?
Science is advancing at warp speed and the way humans are destroying
earth, humanities survival may depend on modern science technology.
Before we get too carried away we need to acknowledge the moments of life
are precious and few. We are put on earth to enjoy our lives and what
wonderment there is to see a sunrise, to hear the birds sing, to gaze at a
sunset. The free things in life are enough. Simplicity in all things is the
answer in any era. Everything else is just the icing on the cake. How big a
slice do we need?
We all need to recognize we are the energy that drives the motor, we are
not the motor. We are the energy that feeds the mind, we are not the mind.
We are the energy that feeds the thoughts, we are not the thoughts. We take
a ride on the carousel of life, but we must remember not to go round so fast
or it will make us sick and dizzy.

About the author: Michael Levy
Michael Levy is the author of eight inspirational books. Michael's
poetry and essays now grace many web sites, newspapers, journals and
magazines throughout the world. He is a prominent speaker on health
maintenance, stress eradication, wealth development, authentic
happiness and inspirational poetry. His new book, "
The Inspiring Story
of Little Goody Two Shoes" is available at all good book stores and
Michael's web site:
http://www.pointoflife.com/,