So when one thinks about conception, or at least when I thought about conception, I would think about the fact that the sperm unites with the egg, and a baby is created. A living creature begins to grow inside the mothers belly. Now this is obvious, it is not like I am telling you anything that is not apparent when you learned that the stork wasn't actually dropping children from great heights. So you think about the point of conception, the sperm implants the egg, and the egg begins dividing into trillions of individual cells creating a baby thing :)
This is what blew my mind about this thought, you as a person, a human being, began as two seperate living cells. You are made up of DNA from your mother's egg, your father's sperm. They come together and create you. You are not just an egg, and you are not just a sperm, you are both of these two individual cells. Now the thing that I found to be so crazy, was each of these were at one point living cells, inhabiting two different spaces, living independently of one another. Each was an actual living cell. So that means since you are both the egg and the sperm, and both of them were alive before you, then at one point in time, you, or what you are made up of, was alive in two different points. In two separate places. You have been alive in two different places at the same time before you were born. Obviously it wasn't you before the conception, but you are both of them.I guess my point is just to really realize and think about the fact that you were somewhere in two places at once before you were made.
It does bring up the weird abstract question of when does the "soul" or the consciousness actually enter the body, you are the consciousness, so does that mean that any conscious part of these two individual cells just dies, or does it merge with yours.
Curious...
I will never know enough about the abstract questions of life!
I have thought many times about the power of creation and even about when the soul comes into the body, but never about us being in 2 places before we merged as sperm/egg!
ReplyDeleteHi Cay,
ReplyDeleteI've been fascinated by conception questions all my life, and truth be told they occasionally give me the existential heebie-jeebies ;) But I guess if one thinks it over with a cool head, conception is no more mysterious and uncanny than everything else about our existence. For instance, here we have millions of cells with their own life and autonomy, and yet together they form all the tissues and organs of our bodies so when we think, "Walk to the bathroom," we can will our legs to obey...
And when does soul/consciousness begin? I guess everyone will land on their own story which resonates best. I like to think that we have a lot of choice, as souls - who our parents will be, when we will be born, what kind of body we'll inhabit, etc. A bit new-Agey, I guess, but it helps keep my sense of the sacred alive. - Seth
These are very interesting questions. I would add one thing the sperm and egg cells are live organic material but they cannot ever survive on their own they must be mated together to be a human being and develop. Each gives half of the genetic material for the new human being. Left alone they are human genetic material but not human beings. For this reason I don;t think two consciousnesses merge but that consciousness begins with the full new human being. The question of ensoulment is an ancient one. Generally the answer vacillates with the science of the day. As you point out there is a new unique human being at conception. Modern biology have shown us that which makes some previous ideas about ensoulment such as at the time of quickening, are now outdated. Keep asking and reflecting.
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