11-8-03
Ok, seeing as how I'm running on minimal amounts of sleep, I have spawned another one of my ridiculous and insightful theories which probably will make perfect sense until I try to share. And it's one of those things that will probably offend a few people, but when has that ever stopped me? So with that in mind...I share:
Love does not exist. It is not real. It is an illusion, a state of mind at best. Is there really any difference between loving someone and liking them a whole lot? Because that's basically what love is- just liking someone a whole lot. If you like one person more than another, and the next more than them, where can you draw the line between really, really liking someone and loving them? Perhaps you just really like your friends, but love your family/significant other. No...I love my friends...madly even. They are amazing people, and I feel just as strongly for them as I ever have about any boy I ever loved. I don't really think that's wrong, either, is it? But boyfriends/girlfriends are more special/important than that? I don't think so. I don't think there's that great a difference between a friend and a bf/gf. My best relationships started as awesome friendships and even after we hooked up, they were more of a friend to me than anything else, and some still are. Albeit friends I'd really enjoyed kissing at one time. I really hope none of this comes off as me sounding like I don't take relationships seriously or in any way negative, I just think friendships are equally important. I also think that at this age, unless you're planning on marriage or something crazy like that, we can't really place someone of such high import in our lives; we're too busy with ourselves, a little too self-centered, trying to grow up and find our own place in the world.
"I cannot say I love her. I have used this word to describe my relationship with milk, my television, and those little bagel things with the pizza inside." -Penny Arcade
Now, I'm not even going to touch on the feelings between spouses because I know nothing about it; maybe love does exist for those who spend their lives together. I just don't think it does for bfs/gfs who, in truth, aren't a whole lot more than friends. I wish I could explain this better, but does anyone agree?
And I'm sorry, Justin, if you disagree. It's not that I feel less for one, but that I can feel more for many- why should I limit myself? I'm not encouraging polygamy or anything, but why just "love" one when you can "love" many and be happier doing so?
Perhaps I'm a fool, but so was Socrates...
"The ACIP has helped us learn things previously misunderstood about love. Perhaps the most interesting misconception was that true love somehow causes people to place the wants of their beloved ahead of their own needs. Not only is such behavior extremely rare and always temporary, it is not love; it's a pathology, a mental disorder, not unlike schizophrenia or IDD. Even those of you who would willingly sacrifice your own life to save the life of another would do so only when your own needs (e.g., honor, religious belief, ego) outweigh your survival instincts.
Love causes a person to elevate his or her beloved above the rest of humanity, and that in itself is a miraculous phenomenon. When two mentally healthy adults are in love, they care deeply about each other's needs and wishes, but never more, or even as much, as about their own." -The Truth Machine