Human Exercise, Thought, and Inner Exercise That Are Disharmonious and Unbalanced in the Order of Spirituality
Author : Jacob Ereste
Freelance Journalist
Human potential is perfectly created by God, encompassing body, soul, and spirit. Therefore, the concept of body is physical, while the soul is psychic or mental, encompassing thoughts, feelings, will, and self-awareness. Meanwhile, the soul is often called spiritual because it is the spirit—a dimension that connects humans to transcendental divine values.
All of this human potential demonstrates the perfection of humans as God’s creatures, surpassing all other creatures, including Satan, the devil, and angels.
Human perfection as God’s creatures—also referred to as khalifatullah, meaning God’s representatives on earth—is evidenced by the fact that perfection does not mean limitless, because true perfection belongs only to God. All of this demonstrates that humans have an extraordinary ability to develop, choose, and determine their preferred way of life with a full sense of responsibility for all the consequences that will follow.
The potential possessed by every human being is the primary foundation for living a life that is more meaningful, useful, and contributes to the good of fellow human beings, nature, and God Himself, the Sovereign of every human being. Therefore, it is difficult to understand if someone does not act kindly toward others, the universe, and all the universe as an expression of each person’s sense of divinity towards the Creator.
Therefore, maintaining balance in exercise, including inner and outer health, is crucial to creating a harmonious order—healthy body, soul, and spirit—to achieve both physical and spiritual happiness, fully controlled by the Spirit. Therefore, the inner and inner health of the Spirit are crucial in cultivating the potential inherent in every human being.
Physical exercise needs to be done regularly and in a measured manner to maintain physical fitness, so that life does not have to rely solely on physical abilities. Therefore, it is necessary to cultivate thought, encompassing knowledge and skills acquired through learning and experience. Therefore, the nature and attitude of the inner and spiritual journey are essential in the process of purifying, controlling, and strengthening the mind or soul so that it is in harmony with the body, fostering true values of honesty, sincerity, and integrity, as well as fortitude and strength in the face of all obstacles and challenges.
The functioning of the human body allows for a high level of self-awareness, enabling us to understand and recognize our true selves. This allows for a peaceful and clear soul or mind, free from contamination by evil or corrupting elements. In turn, the strengths and weaknesses of our potential can be beneficial for ourselves and others. This allows for measurable and controlled life goals, preventing us from straying beyond our capabilities and reasonable limits.
It is within this context that shame and self-respect can be maintained, preventing us from diminishing our dignity as human beings before others or before God. Likewise, the ability to control one’s desires so as not to be trapped by worldly desires that can harm oneself and others. Sometimes, it even damages the natural environment—physical, social, and religious—which should be preserved and maintained together with other humans.
Essentially, the essence of inner or soulful thinking is to hone one’s sensitivity to guiding life and living in a more peaceful, comfortable, and noble way, not only for oneself, but also, and absolutely, for others to experience, even if only within a limited circle.
Thus, ultimately, humans tend to be more dominant in their thinking, so that the effort to hone a more intelligent mind often outweighs the desire to maintain spiritual intelligence over intellectual intelligence. Or, as a result, the dominant outcome is becoming lost—like a traveler lost on the bright path, convinced that intellectual thinking is superior to spiritual thinking.
Therefore, the collapse in our national education world in Indonesia — including in a number of large countries which are considered advanced and have been able to build the most champion new human civilization — is the neglect of spiritual values, to the point of drowning out ethics, morals and ethics which are the pillars of the solid spiritual foundation to counteract greed, avaricious behavior, and deceitful acts that seek to usurp the rights of others. These include corruption, abuse of authority or position, embezzlement, infidelity, and betrayal, whether committed against individuals—from within families to the workplace—in both the private sector and government. The damage to nations and countries worldwide—especially Indonesia today—is due to the behavior of intellectuals who lack ethics, morals, and morality as human beings who no longer possess the noble values and honor bestowed upon them by God as khalifatullah—God’s representatives—on this earth.***
Banten, October 10, 2025
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