The big question: what is man?

I was on a visit to the Adelaide University library in South Australia.  As I walked into the foyer, I noticed a display table. In the middle of it, sat a large sign with this thought-provoking question written on it: What is man?  The question certainly captured my attention. Curious to find out the answer, I eagerly strolled over to view the presentation. Scattered around the sign on the table-top, were 60 chemical symbols. What did they mean? Then it dawned on me.  The answer, according to the university’s science department, was that man is a bundle of chemicals.

Is this a unique perspective? No. It’s commonly accepted that a person is their body, and that the body is comprised of chemical elements, including hydrogen and oxygen plus  various minerals.  Coupled with this, is the notion that an excess or deficiency of some bodily chemicals or minerals, denotes ill health, and that drugs are required to restore a healthy balance.

This was borne out when a relative of mine went along to donate blood at the blood bank in her home town of Melbourne. She was dismayed to learn that none of her blood could be taken.  Apparently, the iron levels in her body were dangerously low.  So she was given a pharmaceutical prescription with strict instructions to obtain the medication immediately. She was told that she needed to regain the chemical balance in her body.

On arriving home, my family member sat at the kitchen table to think about what course of action she’d take. A few months earlier she would have had the prescription filled right away, believing that there was no other option. Now she believed she had a choice.

This relative had been reading Mary Baker Eddy’s book “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures” – a book that explains the connection between spirituality, thought and good health.  The spiritual ideas in the book had already healed her of a slipped disc in her neck and a chronic throat condition. She wondered if she could be healed of the imbalance in her body. She decided that she could, and set about finding a spiritual answer to the problem in the book.

On page 475 she found a clue. “Question. — What is man?  Answer. — Man is not matter; he is not made up of brain, blood, bones, and other material elements.” Wow! That made her stop and think. So what really was man? Reading on, she was alerted to this fact. “The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so unlike Spirit. Man is spiritual and perfect…”

These spiritual concepts on the nature of man – a generic term for men and women, changed the way she thought about herself. She stopped being afraid of a chemical imbalance. She embraced a sense of wellness. Her changed mental state was reflected in better health. This was confirmed when she later returned to donate blood. No imbalance was detected. She was in good health.

The question “what is man?”, can be answered in many ways. For me, the spiritual answer presented in “Science and Health”, has consistently brought with it peace, certainty, bodily harmony and good health. This answer is one that’s definitely worth pursuing.

Beverly Goldsmith

I’m a professional Christian Science Practitioner and Teacher. Through my prayer-based practice, I help people find happiness, health and healing.