The Distortion of Depletion

Art by Maria Coville

We are 3D creatures: soul, body, and mind. All are interconnected in our personhood but each requires its own unique kind of rest and nourishment. In addition, this is the proper order of being. The soul is intended to lead, with the body and mind being dutiful servants of the soul. Without rest and restoration, we become depleted. And depletion distorts, well, everything. When we become depleted, the soul can’t guide and we become led by scarcity, fear, and feral survival impulses. The soul will always be grounded in reality but it needs a nourished body and centered mind to shine forth.

None of this is new information. The need to have an integrated and healthy soul/body/mind goes back thousands of years. Yet here we are with a depletion deficit. With all of the mind-blowing advances in civilization, how did we arrive at a place of collective exhaustion? It goes back to being 3D creatures. Most societal systems (including businesses) still see humans as a single dimension - primarily bodies. Essentially, the social responsibility of food, water, shelter, clothing. Yet the exploding population of unhoused people, water supply issues and hungry families still shows that we haven’t fully figured out systems for sustaining basic human existence. In the past several decades, we have seen the emergence of more 2D systems. There is an increase in mental health resources and far less stigmatization of mental health issues. Therapy can be found on an app and self-help books on emotional and mental health sell well. Unfortunately, the ability to access these resources is dependent on economic means.

As I see it, the primary source of depletion is the third D: the soul. There are a scarce amount of soul-centric systems in our society. Religion used to serve this role, but when the majority of religious doctrine switched from serving the soul to seizing power, the soul went hungry and people left to look for nourishment elsewhere. In addition, religious practices are often used as coping mechanisms.

Businesses haven’t filled this gap either. The concept of “soul” remains taboo and untouchable in many industries and business cultures. (Stay tuned for an announcement on 11/11 about how we will be addressing this!) Those of us that are self-employed do have the freedom to establish our own soul practices but few of us do.