This blog post is an unbelievably personal one. This topic was proposed to me by my lover, Everlin. She has been the joy of my life and asked me to do a topic of the nature of love. This topic is very, very, very personal to me.
Love has been the epitome of existence, the fabric that not only gives life but gives meaning to it. Love is the gate way to virtues that very few in humanity ever exhibit or endorse. Some of these virtues are selflessness, humility, compassion, and perhaps best of all, benevolence. These principles have influenced many moral foundations in both Eastern and Western religions which is quite interesting, given that a majority of the world's population is religious, namely Christian which supposedly advocate this behavior, yet none of them seem to portray it. While I do particularly love schools of thought from the East such as Taoism, which I find absolutely and stunningly beautiful, I am at odds with this portrayal of love. Love seems to be the antithesis to civilization in the eyes of humanity because it is the greatest risk and the greatest series of choices we will ever have to make. Love is the purest form as well as the least exclusive form, of a value which I happen to endorse heavily: Freedom.
Love is freedom, and like freedom, it offers no guarantees. There is no certainty things will work out just the way you want them too. But if by some miracle it does, it'll be purely of your own doing, free from any metaphysical notion you'd ever think of. It's the purest essence and expression of existence. It is the essence of all living things, and it's what makes, not just humans, but life itself great. But exactly what is love? The dynamics of how love works or even what it is has puzzled neuro-biologists, scientists, metaphysics academics since the first meditations on human existence to modern times.
Empiricists say love is a series of chemicals that the brain releases that is attributed to pro-creation. Some of them say that it's a brain state or mental condition in which the brain's chemistry is altered to facilitate a profound attachment to one's self and/or another person. This position is palatable to me. It is definitely an interesting materialist view. But it's too narrow an explanation for something as ethereal and abstract as love. While I do agree wholly with this view, I view there's another, idealistic aspect of it. I propose that, while our brains do undergo changes in chemistry when different emotions of different intensities are present, that the brain state mirrors something more fundamental in the individual's consciousness. I believe love originates from the spirit or the deepest level of consciousness in the individual, which is mirrored physically by the body.
While the most popular argument against mind/body dualism is that one cannot prove exactly what is a soul, where it comes from, or how it interacts with a physical body. These are great questions and dilemma to mind/body dualists like myself. However, simply because we cannot explain the mechanics of how something works, doesn't make it nonexistent. It simply means we lack the means to validate it's existence beyond a measure of healthy speculation. The reason why I believe in a truer, deeper Self that exists beyond the intellect, is because of just how powerful love can be.
Attatchment does provide us with the urge to procreate from time to time, and it may even be a good survival tool which is, according to Darwinism, the sole condition for any adaptation to be present in an organism. Mammals evolved with a higher brain function than our reptilian counterparts because we have the ability to learn. We are further evolved mentally and emotionally and are therefore capable of love. But if survival is the only reason why developed these brains, then there really is no purpose for many of the emotions on a utilitarian scale. Beyond the sheer usefulness of particular emotions, there's no need to have them and eventually, once obsolete there will be no further purpose for their function. So what is the use of love? How does one use love? What's the use of friendship and civility? What's the use for creativity and art? What's the use for serenity and feelings of joy and peace? Essentially the only emotion that proves useful is fear because it prepares our bodies immediately for an incoming or perceived threat. This is ironic as fear seems to boycott the things that are actually useful such as a higher brain function or the ability to rationalize.
Essentially, in the natural world, there is absolutely no purpose for love. Reptiles such as crocodiles and alligators practically eat their young. Some of them abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves. This is fine. It works as you can see, as reptiles are probably the oldest life forms on the planet. Then comes the mammals. Lions, dolphins, elephants, chimpanzees, and so forth whom develop a profound attachment to their young. They treat them with kindness and teach them how to live. They stick with them, feed them, nurture them, and one would argue they even love their young. Why? The reptiles have already demonstrated that their primitive albeit arguably more efficient methods of life are better for survival, so why have these complex emotions? Why have these emotions become so powerful, they almost dominate every part of our existence? I'm not particularly religious but I am an existentialist, and I do believe that there is a Self and that it is immaterial, however I do not believe it bares no connection to anything beyond the Universe or the nothingness from which it spawned. But these thoughts, feelings, and love have no place in a seemingly rudderless world dominated entirely by survival instincts and skills. While the natural world seems to work in perfect balance with these emotions, civilization and places like the U.S.A or other fortunate countries show that it isn't necessary.
So if love has no use then it has no evolutionary value therefore rendering it pointless in the eyes of Darwinism. Yet interestingly enough, it proves to be the ultimate existential expression of the Spirit, (note I didn't say HUMAN spirit but simply SPIRIT for a reason) that connects all life together. It brings in something that Darwinism leaves out of the equation ironically because it's useless. That "something" is meaning. Love and emotions introduce meaning to existence beyond primal instinct and carnal desires. It is this meaning, that allows the weak to become strong, and the strong to become weak, and for them to co-exist simultaneously in harmony or in complete chaos. I'm not saying that emotions provide us with a peaceful world. After all, just look at these so-called 'crimes of passion' which are done in moments of great emotional intensity. Yet at the same time look at how beautiful the idea of receiving something as trivial as a flower can be to someone if that flower came from a loved one. Love doesn't promise peace or destruction. Love only give us one thing: a choice. And it's that choice that I believe, if made correctly, can usher in something beyond utopia, giving us something simple like serenity and peace for every single living creature, not person, but creature, human or not, on this planet.
Love has been the epitome of existence, the fabric that not only gives life but gives meaning to it. Love is the gate way to virtues that very few in humanity ever exhibit or endorse. Some of these virtues are selflessness, humility, compassion, and perhaps best of all, benevolence. These principles have influenced many moral foundations in both Eastern and Western religions which is quite interesting, given that a majority of the world's population is religious, namely Christian which supposedly advocate this behavior, yet none of them seem to portray it. While I do particularly love schools of thought from the East such as Taoism, which I find absolutely and stunningly beautiful, I am at odds with this portrayal of love. Love seems to be the antithesis to civilization in the eyes of humanity because it is the greatest risk and the greatest series of choices we will ever have to make. Love is the purest form as well as the least exclusive form, of a value which I happen to endorse heavily: Freedom.
Love is freedom, and like freedom, it offers no guarantees. There is no certainty things will work out just the way you want them too. But if by some miracle it does, it'll be purely of your own doing, free from any metaphysical notion you'd ever think of. It's the purest essence and expression of existence. It is the essence of all living things, and it's what makes, not just humans, but life itself great. But exactly what is love? The dynamics of how love works or even what it is has puzzled neuro-biologists, scientists, metaphysics academics since the first meditations on human existence to modern times.
Empiricists say love is a series of chemicals that the brain releases that is attributed to pro-creation. Some of them say that it's a brain state or mental condition in which the brain's chemistry is altered to facilitate a profound attachment to one's self and/or another person. This position is palatable to me. It is definitely an interesting materialist view. But it's too narrow an explanation for something as ethereal and abstract as love. While I do agree wholly with this view, I view there's another, idealistic aspect of it. I propose that, while our brains do undergo changes in chemistry when different emotions of different intensities are present, that the brain state mirrors something more fundamental in the individual's consciousness. I believe love originates from the spirit or the deepest level of consciousness in the individual, which is mirrored physically by the body.
While the most popular argument against mind/body dualism is that one cannot prove exactly what is a soul, where it comes from, or how it interacts with a physical body. These are great questions and dilemma to mind/body dualists like myself. However, simply because we cannot explain the mechanics of how something works, doesn't make it nonexistent. It simply means we lack the means to validate it's existence beyond a measure of healthy speculation. The reason why I believe in a truer, deeper Self that exists beyond the intellect, is because of just how powerful love can be.
Attatchment does provide us with the urge to procreate from time to time, and it may even be a good survival tool which is, according to Darwinism, the sole condition for any adaptation to be present in an organism. Mammals evolved with a higher brain function than our reptilian counterparts because we have the ability to learn. We are further evolved mentally and emotionally and are therefore capable of love. But if survival is the only reason why developed these brains, then there really is no purpose for many of the emotions on a utilitarian scale. Beyond the sheer usefulness of particular emotions, there's no need to have them and eventually, once obsolete there will be no further purpose for their function. So what is the use of love? How does one use love? What's the use of friendship and civility? What's the use for creativity and art? What's the use for serenity and feelings of joy and peace? Essentially the only emotion that proves useful is fear because it prepares our bodies immediately for an incoming or perceived threat. This is ironic as fear seems to boycott the things that are actually useful such as a higher brain function or the ability to rationalize.
Essentially, in the natural world, there is absolutely no purpose for love. Reptiles such as crocodiles and alligators practically eat their young. Some of them abandon them and leave them to fend for themselves. This is fine. It works as you can see, as reptiles are probably the oldest life forms on the planet. Then comes the mammals. Lions, dolphins, elephants, chimpanzees, and so forth whom develop a profound attachment to their young. They treat them with kindness and teach them how to live. They stick with them, feed them, nurture them, and one would argue they even love their young. Why? The reptiles have already demonstrated that their primitive albeit arguably more efficient methods of life are better for survival, so why have these complex emotions? Why have these emotions become so powerful, they almost dominate every part of our existence? I'm not particularly religious but I am an existentialist, and I do believe that there is a Self and that it is immaterial, however I do not believe it bares no connection to anything beyond the Universe or the nothingness from which it spawned. But these thoughts, feelings, and love have no place in a seemingly rudderless world dominated entirely by survival instincts and skills. While the natural world seems to work in perfect balance with these emotions, civilization and places like the U.S.A or other fortunate countries show that it isn't necessary.
So if love has no use then it has no evolutionary value therefore rendering it pointless in the eyes of Darwinism. Yet interestingly enough, it proves to be the ultimate existential expression of the Spirit, (note I didn't say HUMAN spirit but simply SPIRIT for a reason) that connects all life together. It brings in something that Darwinism leaves out of the equation ironically because it's useless. That "something" is meaning. Love and emotions introduce meaning to existence beyond primal instinct and carnal desires. It is this meaning, that allows the weak to become strong, and the strong to become weak, and for them to co-exist simultaneously in harmony or in complete chaos. I'm not saying that emotions provide us with a peaceful world. After all, just look at these so-called 'crimes of passion' which are done in moments of great emotional intensity. Yet at the same time look at how beautiful the idea of receiving something as trivial as a flower can be to someone if that flower came from a loved one. Love doesn't promise peace or destruction. Love only give us one thing: a choice. And it's that choice that I believe, if made correctly, can usher in something beyond utopia, giving us something simple like serenity and peace for every single living creature, not person, but creature, human or not, on this planet.
1 comment:
Ahhh I like this so far :)
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