The Phenomenal, Indomitable Human Spirit

Wayne Saalman
4 min readJun 18, 2024
Photo by Bobby Johnson

Excerpt from Chapter 58 of The Journey Across Forever by Wayne Saalman

BE INSPIRED. BE VERY INSPIRED. So, we should tell ourselves every day, for this world of ours is a treasure trove of possibilities. One need only look at what we humans have brought into existence in the realms of the creative arts and scientific innovation, and one is left marveling. Clearly, the fire of desire occupies a very special place among evolution’s prime directives, for otherwise, the intensity of that passion would not be so compelling. After all, if nature cared only that we survive, we humans would be as incapable of self-awareness as the insects, the animals, the birds of the air and the creatures of the sea.

Humans do more than survive, however. We thrive.

Over the centuries, we have fought against stifling heat and the freezing cold, beasts of the wild, deadly diseases and so much more. We have organized ourselves into tribes and nations, erected great governments, cities and monetary systems, invented innumerable necessities and created fantastic cultural artworks. We have also surrounded ourselves with wondrous luxuries and technological marvels. We have triumphed in too many ways to count.

That’s not all. We have tended, not only to our physical interests, but to our metaphysical intrigues, as well.

Hardcore scientific materialists doubtless believe that far too many of us delude ourselves, however, in terms of what is possible as biological entities born of sheer happenstance. Admittedly, we’re great, they say, but only in a limited manner. Yes, we can dream big in certain imaginative ways. We can seek and achieve worldly fame and fortune. We can grow intellectually and thereby become acclaimed in a specific field such as business, science, politics or the arts. We can even win our ideal lover if we are charming and persistent enough.

What no hardcore scientific materialist will agree to, though, is that humanity possesses an innate ability to achieve spiritual salvation or enlightenment, obtain psychic powers or enjoy survival beyond this physical, material world in which we now find ourselves.

Scientific materialists, of course, believe that the brain generates consciousness, as well as the sense of self we experience as human beings and that with the demise of the body these sensate qualities simply cease.

Yet, from a certain perspective, one might say that if our consciousness and sense of self are “only” the product of a physical organ known as the brain, then the dreams that the brain conjures are still pretty spectacular.

According to polls, however, most of us believe that there is, indeed, an actual spiritual dimension and that our essential being is what we call the “soul”. The soul, most say, continues on after the demise of the physical body and subsequently resides in a realm that is both boundless and eternal in nature.

Despite these major differences of ideation and perception, the one thing that can be definitively stated is that even if our sense of self is but an illusory figment of electrochemical processes, it is still phenomenal and remarkable, for even an atheist can live a robust, moral, creative and fulfilling life, despite having nothing but oblivion on his or her personal horizon.

This implies that, at the very least, the human spirit is an immaterial, evanescent “something” possessed of a numinous, transcendental quality of some nature. It is a quality that is inherent to our essential being, even if that essence is limited and given to a sense of boundlessness only within the sphere of the human imagination.

Perhaps, what drives each of us to continually reach for all that we desire in this life (both the possible and the seemingly impossible), is down to the particular archetypes that dominate within each of us. We must remember, however: there are karmic implications to all that we do. As we sow, we reap.

One thing is certain: the more creative we are with our personal energetic constellation of psychic dominants, the more powerful they become.

So, yes, be inspired! Be very inspired (rather than “afraid, very afraid”) and create in as positive a manner as you can with boundless passion. We can do that for the duration of this known lifetime or go further and choose to create as if there is not only a tomorrow on the horizon, but all of eternity in which to enrich ourselves and everyone else in this amazing world of ours.

In brief, we humans are blessed in too many ways to count and that is down to one thing: the phenomenal, indomitable spirit within.

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