Separating the body and mind.

[seeyouauntie]

I don’t know what to make of this statement. At first I thought it to be a bad thing, but after giving it some thought (probably over thinking) I realized that it might not be such a bad thing. Ive researched a lot about lucid dreams, OBE’s (out of body experiences) I wonder if that’s what Maynard is referring to. If you separate your body, a tangible object, from your mind, something that is more powerful than the body or anything else, then wouldn’t that be a good thing? The last thing that you need to have is yourself (body) getting in the way of your mind. The way that the body gets in my way of my mind is my brain (body) because the brain makes its own reality and since we are all basically the same, our “realities” are basically the same. I don’t know if this makes since to anyone, im really tired all try and explain it better tomorrow.

[Mike]

this is also a tool lyric that i find difficult to interpret, but oddly enough, i was thinking about it tonight, and came up with this.......


separating the body from the mind is different than separating the mind from the body........."over thinking/analyzing," functions of a reasoning, physical, concious being, will only act to stimulate the reasoning part of said being ("body"), establishing it as a more significant part of a person than the mind is.......


the antithesis of this lyric might be that "lack of reasoning, reliance on intuition, separates the mind from the body," establishing the mind as the superior of the two, and thus making the separation inherently good........


.......at least that's what i came up with a few hours ago......knowing myself, i'll probably kick the idea around a little longer, then abandon it and come up with something else in a few days.

[akinoyugure]

"over thinking, over analyzing separates the body from the mind.
Withering my intuition leaving opportunities behind.
Feed my will to feel this moment urging me to cross the line.
Reaching out to embrace the random.
Reaching out to embrace whatever may come."

I do not believe that "over thinking over analyzing" is portrayed as a good thing. The definition of intuition is "The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational processes". Therefore, when overanalyzing you let go of certain opportunities, you can no longer "embrace this moment".

I'm not sure who draws the fine line between analyzing and overanalyzing. I think this is left to the individual. You can tell when you are overanalyzing because you are leaving opportunities behind. In my opinion this does NOT apply to the analysis of Tool's lyrics.

It seems people want to cite this as a reason to just "enjoy the music" and "not think" about what Tool is saying. That is absurd. I'm not leaving opportunities behind while being at this message board. The only reason I am here is because I have nothing better to do! If you are here, think and analyze. If you find yourself not enjoying the moment then stop immediatly! However, I think this sort of thing is fun. I'm embracing the moment right now. this moment...OH YEAH!

[Mike]

i agree with everything akinoyugure said..........what i have troulbe understanding is why separating the body from the mind is bad?


on one hand, in all of existence, our chance(s) at life are limited, and we should try to use them to enjoy the pleasures that we need a physical self to enjoy.

on the other, when looking into evolution/opening of the third eye/follwing intuition over reason/etc., many places state the obvious, that humans evolve form matter to spiritual over time, and eventually will be entirely free from matter/physical world.......so to stress the importance of keeping the body and the mind together seems to suggest stopping the evolutionary process.

[EmbraceTdOxOmL]

After many many amazing, mind opening, life changing experiences listening to this album on very large doses of Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide, I have reached every little dark crevis within my mind and developed dozens of ideas and theories (some good, some bad), not about what the band members were expressing through the album, but what the album itself is expressing. (Even though that music came fom within four individual minds, and a part of them is in the music (and vise versa), it has taken on a life of its own. What has been and will forever be done purely inspired by the music is completely out of those same four individuals hands. And the same goes for all of their music.)

I have read the lyrics countless times, digging for clues about what its all about. After i got to a certain point, i began to observe myself. Watching myself try to understand, reaching my hand out soooo far just for that piece of mind. That is when reality struck me. THATS IT!! I narrowed it down to only two words, Psychoactive Disassociation. This state of mind encouraged me to "overthink" and "overanylize" and at the same time, enabled me to observe my own thoughts and reactions ("separating the body from the mind") to the dugs as well as te music. In a really basic sense, an explanation of a trip. Coming to gripps with a "sub-reality" that a drug generates. This album is the entire prossess both in the lyrics and in the music itself. The song "Lateralus" is the stage of realization, understanding, and the accepting of the "sub-reality".

Be aware that this in not what i believe they wrote this song and this album about. its merely the reflection of the song/album shining off of me.

[akinoyugure]

("separating the body from the mind") to the dugs as well as te music. In a really basic sense, an explanation of a trip. Coming to gripps with a "sub-reality" that a drug generates. This album is the entire prossess both in the lyrics and in the music itself. The song "Lateralus" is the stage of realization, understanding, and the accepting of the "sub-reality".

Be aware that this in not what i believe they wrote this song and this album about. its merely the reflection of the song/album shining off of me. [/B][/QUOTE]

You are right that this is just the song "shining off of" you.

While personally identifying with the lyrics is important, I think there is more to interpretation than just saying "and that is what it means to me". For example - the song Die Eier von Satan. I could say that this song "shining off of me" is promoting Nazis. That can't be argued. However, we both know that Die Eier Von Satan is quite simply not intended that way. The same can be said for the song Lateralus. Lateralus is promoting the expansion of the mind, and the feeling of the moment. I think that is a key point to the song that can't be argued. In fact, I think all Tool songs have a key point, a message, that is there for all to see. There is a message to understand, not one you have to necessarily agree with, but one that should be at least identified and considered.

How one applies that message to their life, or what one believes to be the exact event the writer experienced in order to write those lyrics, is the interpetation.

In my opinion, there is something to be learned from this song that goes far beyond some crazy trip. That being said however, I can identify with the problem of "overanalyzing"/thinking too much. After smoking pot I have sometimes been able to overcome that, and in a sense feel more normal. However, when the drug is gone, so is the feeling. I believe it was in Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles that it was said "you can't buy your piece of mind for $3 a hit".

[akinoyugure]

oops. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is the correct novel/movie name.