The Engine Matters
Your body is a vehicle, your soul the engine. Service it wisely.
Polish the exterior, but neglect the core, and the journey ends
 |
We live in a world obsessed with shine and show. But while polishing the exterior, we ignore the engine beneath. This guide reminds us that the body is a sacred vehicle, the soul its engine, and true longevity comes from care, alignment, and honest reflection. |
The Ignored Check Engine Light
We live in a world of showrooms. We polish our bodies until they gleam, customise our exteriors with the latest trends, and parade ourselves on the social highway, hoping for admiration. But in our obsession with the shine, we ignore the faint but persistent light on our internal dashboard: the Soul's Check Engine light.We blame the vehicle when it breaks down. “It’s old,” we say. “It’s faulty,” we complain. Yet we forget the most basic truth of ownership: a machine that is not serviced will fail. A body that is not nourished will decay.
This is a service manual for the soul, a reminder that true longevity is not in the paint job, but in the engine.
Chapter 1: The Engine of Being → Pulse of the Ride
Your body is the vehicle, but your soul, the engine, is what makes it run. It’s a masterpiece of engineering, designed to last for a million miles. But it requires the right fuel and the right maintenance.- The Fuel:
What are you putting into your tank? Is it the high-octane of whole foods, clean water, and restful sleep? Or is it the cheap, contaminated fuel of processed junk, sugary drinks, and chronic exhaustion? An engine fed with poison will sputter, cough, and eventually seize. A body fed garbage will break down long before its time.
- The Oil Change:
This is the lubricant of your being, your thoughts, your emotions, your intentions. Are you regularly draining out the black, sludgy oil of resentment, anger, and anxiety? Are you replacing it with the clean, golden oil of gratitude, forgiveness, and peace? Old, dirty oil will grind an engine to a halt. Neglected emotions will corrode the soul from within.
Your engine hums even when you forget to listen.
Chapter 2: The Chassis of Life → Bones & Bearings
The chassis carries the weight of the journey. It’s your bones, your muscles, your physical presence. It’s designed to be strong and flexible, but it must be maintained.- The Suspension System:
This is your resilience. It’s how you handle the bumps and potholes of life. Do you stretch it with regular movement and exercise, keeping it flexible? Or do you let it rust in a sedentary lifestyle, becoming stiff and brittle with every jolt? A stiff suspension will crack under pressure. An inflexible body and mind will shatter at the first sign of trouble.
- The Alignment:
This is your posture, your balance. Is your body aligned, or are you slouched over screens, carrying the weight of the world on uneven shoulders? Misalignment causes uneven wear and tear, leading to chronic pain and premature breakdown. A life out of balance will burn you out.
Bones, muscles, and resilience: the suspension of your journey.
Chapter 3: The Dashboard → Signals from Within
The dashboard is your command centre. It’s where all the warnings appear. But in our world, we’ve covered it with stickers and decorations.- The Warning Lights:
Anxiety is a Low Oil light. Depression is a Battery light. Chronic illness is a Check Engine light. These are not annoyances to be ignored with a pill or a distraction. They are urgent messages from your vehicle’s core, begging you to pull over and assess the damage. Ignoring them doesn’t make the problem go away; it guarantees a catastrophic breakdown.
- The Fuel Gauge:
This is your energy, your focus. Are you running on empty, constantly pushing the needle into the red with caffeine and stress? Or are you refuelling with meditation, nature, and meaningful connection? Running on fumes will leave you stranded. A mind starved of true nourishment will lead you into a ditch.
Each warning light is a quiet lament of the spirit longing to be noticed.
Chapter 4: The Showroom Deception→ Reflections in the Chrome
This is the great tragedy of our time. We spend a fortune on a custom paint job (makeup, fashion), a booming sound system (superficial social life), and shiny rims (status symbols). We admire the vehicle in the mirror, but we never open the hood.- The Polish vs. The Performance:
A car with a flawless paint job and a seized engine is an ornament, not a vehicle. It’s beautiful, but it goes nowhere. A person with a perfect Instagram feed and a dying soul is just as trapped. They look good, but they are not living. They are performing.
- The Shame of the Breakdown:
When the vehicle finally dies on the side of the road, we feel shame. We see other, newer, shinier models speeding past, and we feel like a failure. But we forget: a breakdown is not a sign of a bad vehicle. It is a sign of neglected one. And the only shame is in not learning the lesson.
A polished exterior can hide a stalled engine.
The Journey Home→ The Road Back to Self
Your body is not a trophy to be displayed in a showroom. It is a sacred vehicle, entrusted to you for a single, magnificent journey. The destination is not a place, but a state of being, wholeness, peace, and reunion with your Source.So, stop polishing the hood and start checking the oil. Stop admiring the rims and start aligning the chassis. Learn to read the dashboard of your own soul. Service your being with the same diligence you would service the car of your dreams.
Because the journey is long, and the road is uncertain. But with a well-maintained vehicle, you won’t just make it to the end. You will enjoy the ride.
And you will arrive home, not broken and rusted, but gleaming with the wisdom of the miles, and powered by an engine that is strong, clean, and eternally yours.
Maintain your engine. Align your frame. Follow the whispers.
