Sure, the word “soul” comes from the proto Germanic “saiwiz” (for sea or ocean). But not because “you are like a drop in the ocean,” but because “you are like

Sure, the word “soul” comes from the proto Germanic “saiwiz” (for sea or ocean). But not because “you are like a drop in the ocean,” but because “you are like an ocean in a drop.” The idea of soul can be objectionable when it is based on an immortal being or on a vitalist life-force (like “anima” of the Latin). But it seems fine when it is based on the psyche (like the “Psuche” of the Greek). I embrace taboo words like soul because they 1. are common 2. are useful for referring to things that seem pretty important (like avoiding soulless companies or products or buildings) and 3. are challenging to my normal (scientific) understanding of the world. Still, I’d be more comfortable if the poem referred to the “carbon of our souls” rather than “carbon in our souls.” Hmm…