A long time ago, man would listen in amazement to the sound of regular beats inhis chest, never suspecting what they were. He was unable to identify himselfwith so alien and unfamiliar an object as the body. The body was a cage, andinside that cage was something which looked, listened, feared, thought, andmarveled; that something, that remainder left over after the body had beenaccounted for, was the soul.
A long time ago, humans experienced wonder at the rhythms of their own hearts, unaware of their significance. They struggled to relate to their bodies, perceiving them as foreign and restrictive, much like a cage. Within this enclosure, there existed a deeper essence that engaged with the world—something that observed, felt fear, contemplated, and marveled at existence.
This essence, distinct from the physical form, is what Kundera refers to as the soul. It represents the intangible aspects of human experience, emphasizing the contrast between the mere physical existence and the profound inner life that defines one's identity and perception of reality.
