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Goodbye Jesus

Love


Guest Davka

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Guest Davka

Love is a really good idea. Or empathy, or compassion - whatever you want to call it. Trying to be caring towards other people. It works better than anything else I've tried, that's for sure.

 

Of course, I've had to arrange my life in such a way as to avoid being forced to deal with assholes in order to be comparatively loving much of the time. And I'm taking SSRIs to keep the beast at bay. Still and all, I'm pretty sold on the idea of love. I think it might be the one thing that all those religions got right.

 

That and the houris. We need more religions with houris. But, like, on Earth, not just paradise.

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Love IS a really good idea. I feel lucky because it is easy for me to love, feel empathy, and be compassionate. I think my life has been much richer because of this. I make friends easily and I’m still in touch with friends from high school, various jobs that I’ve held, and assorted hobbies and events. I guess love is a common theme across the various religions, but I don’t feel I have to be connected to a religion to love so effortlessly. For a variety of reasons, it’s just a part of the person that I evolved to be.

 

I am also lucky because I rarely get angry. I can remember being raging, insanely angry only three times in my entire 53 years. The danger for me is that I love so easily that I am easily hurt. My love, empathy, and compassion leave me susceptible to being abused and I often let others take advantage of me. But even with that, I don’t think I would change my ability to love. I think my life is more joyful because of it.

 

As far as houris goes, all I can say is, “You are such a guy!!!"

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...and the houris. We need more religions with houris. But, like, on Earth, not just paradise.

 

Yes, please. I once photographed a Persian wedding. The women's eyes were the most amazing I had ever seen. "Sparkling" doesn't begin to do justice to reality.

 

Houris, for those that don't know, are the black-eyed virgins awaiting Muslim martyrs in paradise.

houris01.jpg

houris.jpg

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  • Super Moderator

You cant hurry love

No, you just have to wait

She said love dont come easy

Its a game of give and take

 

Too bad we can't force the emotion. We either have that feeling or we don't. It's better when we have it.

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Guest Davka
Too bad we can't force the emotion. We either have that feeling or we don't. It's better when we have it.

I'm not so sure about that. Have you ever tried? I have - and I've been able to work up a degree of brotherly love for others "on demand" as it were. Just by choosing to empathize, I find myself feeling more loving towards people.

 

It doesn't always work, and it depends to an extent on the person. Really obnoxious jerks are harder to empathize with, and on those occasions when I have succeeded, it usually lasts until the next time they open their mouths. But I do find it helpful to stop and try to relate to other people when they do things I don't like, and to determine to feel more caring towards them.

 

Now if only we could carry tranq rifles for the obnoxious ones. "Soylent Green is - Howard in Accounting!"

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Too bad we can't force the emotion. We either have that feeling or we don't. It's better when we have it.

I'm not so sure about that. Have you ever tried? I have - and I've been able to work up a degree of brotherly love for others "on demand" as it were. Just by choosing to empathize, I find myself feeling more loving towards people.

 

It doesn't always work, and it depends to an extent on the person. Really obnoxious jerks are harder to empathize with, and on those occasions when I have succeeded, it usually lasts until the next time they open their mouths. But I do find it helpful to stop and try to relate to other people when they do things I don't like, and to determine to feel more caring towards them.

 

Now if only we could carry tranq rifles for the obnoxious ones. "Soylent Green is - Howard in Accounting!"

 

 

Actually I empathize rather well. That doesn't blossom into love, but you can behave as if you have love. Still, not quite the same as the genuine, spontaneous emotion. You don't produce the "love chemicals" in your brain.

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Guest Davka
Actually I empathize rather well. That doesn't blossom into love, but you can behave as if you have love. Still, not quite the same as the genuine, spontaneous emotion. You don't produce the "love chemicals" in your brain.

Ah - OK, I read you now. I'm not talking about that giddy feeling produced by endorphins and whatnot when you "fall in love." That's why I said ". . . Or empathy, or compassion - whatever you want to call it. Trying to be caring towards other people." in the OP. You're right that we can't turn on and off the "falling in love" chemicals at will (although MDMA does a pretty damned good imitation).

 

No, I mean bonhomie, phileo, empathy - there are some chemicals involved in the accompanying feelings no doubt, but nothing like the kick-in-the-pants rose-colored-glasses rush you get when you're "in love." I'm espousing a much more sedate state of mind which I have found that I can induce more-or-less at will. Well-met-good-fellow, hey, humanity is really not so bad, let's all be friends (just keep your grubby hands off my cruller) - that kind of thing.

 

The Greeks had it right: we need more words for these human emotional attachments. I agape my kids and phileo my buds, while my wife gets the full treatment, eros and all.

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Do you live in a small town or a big city Davka? I've lived in large cities for the past 15 or so years and I gotta tell you when you are passing literally thousands on a daily basis empathy is not the first thing that is inspired.

 

I wish no ill will on my fellow man, unless that fellow man happens to be George Bush and Dick Cheney. I also don't give a shit about most of them. That's just an honest response.

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I'm not talking about that giddy feeling produced by endorphins and whatnot when you "fall in love."

 

Neither am I, exclusively. The genuine feeling of love for a brother, friend, a people, a cause can't be forced. That's all I'm saying.

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Guest Davka
Do you live in a small town or a big city Davka? I've lived in large cities for the past 15 or so years and I gotta tell you when you are passing literally thousands on a daily basis empathy is not the first thing that is inspired.

I live in a small town, in part because of the effect you cite here. I don't want to be "shut down" by humanity overload. Been there, done that, didn't like what it did to me.

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