Throughout the ages philosophers and scientists, as well as religious and spiritual sages, have
pondered the relationship between mind and body. Are they separate or one? If separate realms
—one material the other non-material— how do they communicate—and who is in charge?
If one, why call them two? Do they have the same or different ultimate destinations? Some
spiritual paths deny or seek to transcend the body. Others celebrate it as part of the total
reality or creation. Whatever your view, at some point the body will grab your attention—
especially as you age. In his poignant essay, “Annual Meeting of Body and Mind,”my brother-in-law,
photographer and artist Walter Rabetz, shares his personal mind/body experience:

“All present say AYE: BODY: Present! MIND: Aye!

Mind: Well, here we are again. The Annual Meeting of Mind and Body. What year is
this anyway, 68, 69, no – it’s 70.

Body: The years do add up.

Mind: So, shall we get started? Or is there anything you want to say before we begin?

Body: Yes, there is.

Mind: Go ahead, get it over, I just hope it isn’t the same old stuff from last year and
the years before.

Body: You always do that, you have no patience and you make light of my concerns.
I may not have feelings like you do but I can and do hurt.

Mind: Uhm, go ahead if you must.

Body: For many years, when we both started out, you took me for granted. Eventually, you
got your wits about you and figured out how to proceed. By the way, you had a lot of help from
your parents and others, which I never had. I did it all on my own and you never want to admit
that. You always believed YOU did it all yourself.

Mind: Enough! I have heard this litany before. SHALL WE GET THE MEETING UNDERWAY ALREADY?

Body: Hey – I Need To Finish; all those years, decades that is, I kept quiet – not a peep. Whatever
you thought, I just did; jump here - I jump, run there - I run, {ialic}squat, then jump, {/ialic}etc.
YOU TOOK ME FOR GRANTED. Now, it seems that you realize that I, too, can exert myself. I may be
slower in realizing who I am and the power that I have, but I am finally ready to assert myself in this
dual relationship. It is no longer your call on things. I have been ignored by you all these years, and
you know that that hurts – well it is now my turn to take charge. Yes, let the meeting start, I am ready!

Mind: The meeting will come to order: Are there any objections to the minutes?

Body: I don’t have a copy.

Mind: Oh, for heaven’s sake, you know I do not type!! You’re the secretary; you’re the one
who records the minutes. I think, you type!

Body: Yeah, right, lets start.

Mind: The agenda today is a leg that hurts, making it hard to walk – and shoulders that ache
from god knows what. Do you know from what, after all you are the master of the sneaky ache!

Body: The leg – that is simple…Over the years, the spinal canal narrowed. Now every time you
want me to do something that I am reluctant to do, I give you a little twitch! That sends you into
a twitter of pain, which I must admit brings me a smile. S for the shoulders – that is just PMR.

Mind: You ENJOY this?

Body: Why not, you enjoy your own weird flights of fancy, without any consideration for me. You
are constantly thinking about this or that, and whatever comes into your brain (oops, that’s me)
– mind – you expect me to do. You don’t ever ask. You never learn . . . so a little tweak brings you
back to the reality that you and I are on this journey together.

Mind: Maybe, maybe not!

Body: What do you mean maybe? Are we not on this journey together?

Mind: Maybe!

Body: Hey, we have been together from the start. Why, I don’t know. I didn’t pick you.

Mind: I certainly didn’t pick you. I had my eye on that taller, more elegant, one.

Body: Well, we don’t have that choice. We are stuck with whoever gets us. After all, this is not
rocket science, nor is it an art, random maybe . . . maybe not. Whatever.

Mind: That about sums up your knowledge, “Whatever!” Ouch!

Body: Tweak . . . how does that feel?

Mind: Hurts! . . . why did you do that?

Body: I don’t like that “maybe” stuff.

Mind: What do you mean?

Body: You know, we are in this together, and we will be together to the end. And then you
say “maybe!”

Mind: Yes, maybe!

Body: What do you mean . . .?!?

Mind: Well, we all know, everyone, everywhere knows where YOU are going.

Body: Where am I going?

Mind: You are going either in the ground or up in flames or in the sea.

Earth, Fire, Water . . . those are your options, buddy.

BODY: Aren’t you going with me?

Mind: Well, that is a great question? Finally, after all these years of being an ignorant
corpus with “whatever” your highest achievement, you finally ask a great question. Boy, are you
are good at Q & A.

Body: What is Q & A?

Mind: Bad joke! . . . anyway to answer your question I appeal to the same experts who
know where you are going (and there is no doubt on that) but they all disagree on where I
am going. Some think I am going with you. (Now,why would I want to do that ?) “ OUCH!” . . .
Others think I say “bye-bye” to you right before you go then I “float” off somewhere else. Some
think I will be reincarnated. If that is the case, I hope I don’t come back as you . . . OUCH !!!. . .
Some think I will go to Heaven and others think I become a memory in the thoughts of others.
Now that sounds interesting. I wonder how long does this memory stuff lasts? Hmmm . . . I wonder
if there is anything I can do to prolong this memory stuff?

Body: Come on, anything else?

Mind: Yes, there is. Just one item left.

Body: What is it, not one of those crazy travel ideas of yours – please, not again!.

Mind: Be nice, be open! Yes, actually, I have decided that we should go on a trip.

Body: You know I don’t like all this travel stuff. It’s very hard on me.

Mind: You will love this! . . . WE are going to . . . BORNEO!

Body: I really don’t like this . . . isn’t that where there are leaches and headhunters?”

Mind: I’m so excited, it’s going to be wonderful . . . Ouch! . . . Hey, I still decide these things.
After all, I’m the MIND, you are only the HEAD.

Meeting adjourned.

Body: Can I ask you one question.

Mind: OK, go ahead.

Body: Of all those options of where you are going after we split up. which do you agree with?

Mind: That’s a really good question! Well, OK, I do believe that something will happen. But, in the
mean time, START PACKING . . . BORNEO here we come!”

........................................................

While we don’t know for sure the final destinations of mind and body, the best we can do in the here
and now is to follow the principle of ALL IS ONE. Mind and body may have an ongoing dialogue but it
may actually be a monologue. Nevertheless, if they can come together, as one or two, to make a deal,
Borneo is not a bad idea—although I’ll take the south of France. Body: Are you ready body? Hello body,
I asked if you are ready. Hello. Come in body. Are you sleeping? Where are you? Hmm, I wonder if I
can make that trip on my own?

— — —
Bernard Starr, Ph.D., formerly professor of developmental and educational psychology at the City
University of New York, now teaches “Psychology and Spirituality in Film” at Marymount Manhattan
College and is producer and host for Phoenix Rising Television Productions. In addition to his work
in radio (“The Longevity Report”), he is a longtime contributor of commentary and opinion articles
to numerous major newspapers and other publications. He is also the President of the Association
for Spirituality and Psychotherapy and is the main United Nations representative for the Institute
of Global Education that founded the Mucherla Global School in Mucherla, India.

— — —
NEWS: You can now preview selected passages from each chapter of my book
"Escape Your own Prison: Why We Need Spirituality And Psychology To Be Truly Free"
published by Rowman and Littlelfied) at Google Books.

The complete book is available at Amazon.com,Barnes& Noble.com and other major book outlets.