Ask a complex question, receive a four word answer. Ghost in the Shell.
It's succinct and basic, but it's not wrong either. We see the spirit, the 'self' as something entirely seperate to the body. We learn to get intouch with our naked geist while meditating, isolating ourselves entirely from our body. Then, steadily we allow our self to re-inhabit the body, mentally filling the void inside.
Getting a little more complex, the body also defines the geists interaction with the universe at large, the perception of the universe and our place within it. But, the body is defined at it's most basic level by the geist. We choose our own hardware, or our own physical appearrance based upon our personal needs, desires or requirements. The body does not have to reflect how you perceive yourself inside your minds eye, or how you define yourself. I chose my personal appearance for two specific reasons, while at the same time explicitly define myself as something else, and prefer a specific term to describe what I am.
The geist itself is a little harder to define. Searching for it is key to earlier stages of our training. It's about looking for whatever inside us defines us totally, and for each of us that's a different thing. It might be a memory or a personal experience. It might be an opinion or a deeply held belief that you know in your core to be right. It could also be the sum total of our individual experiences.
Spiritual damage for us however, manifests differently and can be hard to pin down. The most common would be a detachment from the self.... it's something almost all of us go through at one stage or another, especially immediately post-cyberisation. It's common enough that we call it 'Transition syndrome' even if it can be triggered by anything that happens to us - or that we do - which conflicts with what our personal image of our self is.
The idea that cybernetics eat your soul however, is laughable. Shadowrun's writers have caused us so much trouble it's not funny. There're plenty of other things out there that do, by hardware isn't one of them.
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---- And I run out of time and have to run to work after spending an hour putting that together.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
It's succinct and basic, but it's not wrong either. We see the spirit, the 'self' as something entirely seperate to the body. We learn to get intouch with our naked geist while meditating, isolating ourselves entirely from our body. Then, steadily we allow our self to re-inhabit the body, mentally filling the void inside.
Getting a little more complex, the body also defines the geists interaction with the universe at large, the perception of the universe and our place within it. But, the body is defined at it's most basic level by the geist. We choose our own hardware, or our own physical appearrance based upon our personal needs, desires or requirements. The body does not have to reflect how you perceive yourself inside your minds eye, or how you define yourself. I chose my personal appearance for two specific reasons, while at the same time explicitly define myself as something else, and prefer a specific term to describe what I am.
The geist itself is a little harder to define. Searching for it is key to earlier stages of our training. It's about looking for whatever inside us defines us totally, and for each of us that's a different thing. It might be a memory or a personal experience. It might be an opinion or a deeply held belief that you know in your core to be right. It could also be the sum total of our individual experiences.
Spiritual damage for us however, manifests differently and can be hard to pin down. The most common would be a detachment from the self.... it's something almost all of us go through at one stage or another, especially immediately post-cyberisation. It's common enough that we call it 'Transition syndrome' even if it can be triggered by anything that happens to us - or that we do - which conflicts with what our personal image of our self is.
The idea that cybernetics eat your soul however, is laughable. Shadowrun's writers have caused us so much trouble it's not funny. There're plenty of other things out there that do, by hardware isn't one of them.
-------------
---- And I run out of time and have to run to work after spending an hour putting that together.
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?