I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “She’s got an old soul.” I’ve used it myself. What does it mean, though?
There are some that believe some souls are reusable. When a person dies, their soul goes to Heaven or Paradise or Valhalla or Big Bob’s Soul Emporium or some such, to be ‘installed’ in the next little rug rat that’s born. Depending on when that soul originated, it would … could… retain some of the life lessons from prior lifetimes.
You can always count on Kliban for an appropriate cartoon for any subject
The pessimists—or contrarians—amongst us would equate the ‘old’ part of that to meaning worn out… moth-eaten… ratty… Okay, frankly, I do know a few folks like that. Too young to be bitter and worn out, but there they are, already giving up on life. Maybe those aren’t ‘old’ souls, but ‘ancient’ souls. Or ‘defective’ souls?
The more popular understanding of ‘old soul’, and the one I share, is that person seems to have experience and wisdom not usually found in someone of that chronological age. A teenager, for example, who knows how to calm a screaming crowd of natives using lost languages. Okay, no, that’s not quite a good example, but you get the idea. They seem to know how to handle situations without the guidance of an adult who had to learn it the hard way. There’s a confidence in them.
Of course, this implies that, besides old and ancient souls, there must be some newer souls.
I, for one, wonder if I may have gotten a teenage soul.
Angst-filled…
Rash…
Cranky…
Hormonal…
Mistake-prone…
So, while writing this, I was just wondering without expecting any real answers (though if you have any, real or imagined, I’d enjoy hearing them) —
Do souls have expiration dates? “Sell by” dates?
Are there really soulless bastards/bitches who skipped the table where the souls were handed out?
Can you really filet a soul?
Mysteries of the ages…
Tags: a little soul food, Kliban cartoon, no returns, you get what you came with
The Wilds of Ohio 
February 4, 2010 at 07:14 |
don’t know much about this topic – other than that James Brown was the Godfather of Soul. and he was…
February 4, 2010 at 08:37 |
Odd.
While being herded along at the Pizza Lunch Place yesterday, the guy behind me kept bumping into me, which cause my bumping into the guy in front of me… “I’m so sorry.”, I apoligized.
“No problem!”
“Guess I’m just preparing for my next life as a cattle…”
And he smiled.
While younger, people who met me thought that I had “eyes of a old soul”… so yeah, I guess I understand what you’re talking about.
Personally, it’s like Groundhog Day… you take as many trips around the sun as you need to realize what you have to do to not be a giant douche.
February 4, 2010 at 12:39 |
After doing some soul searching, I’ve determined that I need to be re-souled–something with a thicker skin and a higher willpower.
February 4, 2010 at 18:59 |
I think some souls never learn much from life to life. Stubborn or just lacking the capacity for growth. And some are just new and there is floundering involved.
February 5, 2010 at 15:04 |
As for your second question – yes, I know of two people like that
February 6, 2010 at 13:55 |
Soulless bastards/bitches? Yup. I work for one, and dated the other. As to the other, some days I feel like the oldest soul alive and the next like I’ve never got beyond age 16 (and frequently 6).
February 7, 2010 at 01:39 |
I feel like I myself have an internal Benjamin Button situation, of an old soul which gradually gets more foot-stampy when provoked. For talk about souls, ask the Buddhist. They reckon everything beyond the soul is an illusion.
February 11, 2010 at 04:32 |
I think that our souls develop through our life experience and I know of a few people that are old/mature in years but young at “heart” and the opposite. I think that you need to roll with the punches and live life with a young soul. It might get you in trouble but it will sure as hell be fun!!
February 11, 2010 at 14:18 |
One may re-sole shoes but sadly cannot re-soul people. There are many who could benefit from such a thing.
February 11, 2010 at 14:47 |
A soul doesn’t sound like a requirement for anything. Is there a test to determine the age of a soul and/or its presence? If you don’t have one, can you still get into the club, or will the bouncers show you the road. I bet I can make one of these out of a potato and some wires.
In “The Arabian Nights” or one such movie, I remember the bad guy that Aladdin was fighting against had removed his soul and put it in a jar. For this reason, he could not be killed. He could be physically damaged, but he would never die. Aladdin went on a quest to find the bad guys soul, and then destroyed it in front of him. Then, of course, he rescued the girl and probably had wonderful sex. But they didn’t show that in the movie.