Concepts of love and desire cross cultures and time periods, defining human interaction and goals with its powerful effect on the human mind. The line between love and desire is not always clear and people from philosophers to scientists have attempted to understand these complex emotions and how they may be right or wrong. Desire has been characterized mainly as a distraction that can hinder humans on their solitary paths to self- enlightenment, but rather than abstaining from desire entirely to better reach enlightenment, it is should be transformed through the guidance of the wise and made into a valuable resource in the search for truth rather than being seen as the enemy. Desire, when left unguided, can be a problem for those who give into it, however, a desire that has transformed into a sort of love with virtuous intentions can help one on their way to enlightenment when used in the correct way. The types of desire as they relate to what enlightenment is and the way it can be achieved are all of great importance to the potential use of desire as a resource. Unrestrained desire of anything from objects to human bodies must be checked by a set of rules or standards, whether those rules instruct humans to completely rid themselves of desire or to transform desire into something more. Selfish desire is characterized as temporary and ultimately useless or even a hindrance to a man in search of truth and knowledge. According to the teachings of Krishna “The senses, mind,
Especially within a society such as ours, which distorts love into lust, the ability to recognize and display the gift of love is essential. Selfish love, which is so inherent to humanity, inhibits God from acting in our lives, blinding us from experiencing His presence and eternal joy. It is so easy to look for pleasure and love in self satisfaction. However, the path to lasting happiness is not found through instant gratifications, but in the grueling practice of living a life full of
Love is unique in its striking ability to be a driving force in dictating interpersonal relationships. It patterns behavior and orients individuals towards their distinct, unique attractions. According to Velleman, love penetrates deeper than one’s qualities; it extends to one’s rational will, or the essence of a person. To him, though love appears to have particularity, it is also a moral emotion. Kolodny subscribes to the relationship theory, asserting that an ongoing, interpersonal, and historical relationship with a relative is a part of the reason for love. In Kolodny’s view, the existence of the true self is irrelevant, as is the morality of love. Both Velleman and Kolodny disprove the quality theory; however, their perceptions of love and its morality differ. I believe that Kolodny is correct in his view that morality is irrelevant to love and that there must be factual reasons for love. Although it is enticing to believe that one is attracted to the essence of another, the essence is not motivation enough for love. The relationship theory takes into account the motivation needed to love a particular person from a historical, interpersonal, and ongoing perspective.
One of the most complicated experiences in life, love cannot be precisely defined, but some basic indications help to characterize the feeling. Love is a very deep, passionate affection one person has for another or a relationship of the same nature that implies a unique intensity of emotion. It requires an especially strong connection and compatibility between two people, usually identified by a total understanding and respect for each other and a fundamental similarity in ideology. Love can also be seen in the way it alters people’s normal behavior; when someone is in love, the object of their affection seems like the most important thing in the world, and they do extreme things for that feeling to be requited. Love cannot easily be
One of the overarching themes that spanned over the many books we read over the semester, was the nature of love and the search for meaning. Love is an inherent aspect of humanity, and while it is an often inexplicable and complex sentiment, it is intrinsically connected with mankind's search for meaning in life. Love often leads a person in directions that they do not expect, and this is obvious in the very different applications of love in different books. However, one common idea about the relationship between love, suffering, and wisdom, can be argued for based off the ancient texts that we read. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Antigone, and The Tale of Genji, love is used as a vehicle for wisdom through suffering and loss.
The human idea of love is quite possibly the most misunderstood in today’s society. Love can be between a man and woman, mother/father and their kids, or even really good friends. However, these relationships of love go through many interactions and stages to start and progress. Many psychological events must occur and be worked through in order to be successful. All relationships must endure the five perspectives of human behavior. These perspectives are biological, learning, social and cultural, cognitive, and psychodynamic influences.
Love can be whatever one makes it out to be. From basic science to a complex philosophical or mystical idea. A person’s own unique experiences with love make it a concept that is so widely perceived and interpreted. Throughout her piece, Selections from Love 2.0 Barbara Fredrickson tries to broaden her audience’s understanding to a new idea of love. Overall, she claims that love is a biological need. The claim that longevity and quality of life might have lots to do with not only ‘clean air and nutritious food’ but also ‘your supply of love’ are accurate to a certain extent. A constant supply of love is needed for a better quality of life but it is not necessarily needed to live a long life. If the claim is taken to be true, then a weak supply of love would result in a person just existing and not living life to their fullest or connecting to other human beings; therefore, they would be incomplete without it.
It is commonly assumed that if a person has a desire, he or she must also care about it. After all, some people desire to be the best academically or athletically, which would draw to the conclusion that he or she cares about academics or athletics. In The Reasons to Love, however, Harry Frankfurt argues that if a person has a desire it does not necessarily mean that he or she cares for or even about it. He discusses how there is an obvious correlation between the two, but really focuses on explaining the difference. In this paper, I will defend Frankfurt’s argument.
pursuit of happiness but also required by the Laws of Nature and Nature's God to
The love story is one of the oldest and most cherished traditions in any world culture. The prevalence of romantic works throughout history, whether Greek myths, Jane Austen’s dramatic narratives, or today’s dime-a-dozen romantic novels, ultimately encourages us to believe in the power of true love. We identify with the archetypal star-crossed lovers, who combat established convention in order to assert their romance, because we too yearn for our own “happily-ever-afters.” When used in conjunction with reason, love is the highest form of compassion – without it, we could not possibly interact productively with one another or develop as individuals. But when we take a new perspective and examine love as an independent,
The human condition allows humans to have lust and desire. Humans and nonhuman animals alike have mutual, inherent desires that aide in keeping the species alive and thriving. Such desires shared among humans and nonhuman animals include the desire to eat, excrete, mate to produce offspring, safety from environment and/or predators, sleep, etc. Although humans and nonhuman animals have mutual desires that allow for survival, there exists something more unique within the human spirit. Desire beyond anything necessary for survival is a commandeering force that is inherent within the human
However, those inclinations could have a negative effect that causes them to suffer and be miserable. Buddha believed that if you were to let go of these desires, there would be nothing left to disappoint you and make you feel despondent. In addition, following the Eightfold Path can lead you to reach a point where you’re completely free from selfishness and pain, called nirvana. The Eightfold Path includes understanding views, thinking, discussing, doing things, right livelihood, right effort, treating people with respect, and to concentrate properly. So, the following of these concepts led others in the world to believe that life can be fulfilled with contentment and
Love is said to be the greatest human experience in which mankind are privilege to partake in. To love can be a wondrous experience filling life with bliss and other strong emotions. Some people believe to love is to be alive and be able to see the good in the world and others. The purpose of this paper is to examine and find a better understanding of what is love, to explore what people believe love to be, and what lies surround the perception of love and to explore and expose what the meaning true love is or at the very least the authors understanding of the perception of love. In addition to exploring the concept, deception and the truth of love,
Human beings have a need for self-actualization that involves growing towards courage, kindness, knowledge, love, honesty, and unselfishness. When we fulfill this need, we feel serene, joyful, filled with zest, sometimes euphoric, and generally happy. When we act contrary to our need for self-actualization, we experience anxiety, despair, boredom, shame, emptiness and are generally unable to enjoy ourselves. (Singer 327-328).
this craving and results in the lack of freedom when the opportunity is technically present but
"It is, therefore, not the satisfaction of a need but a mere means to satisfy needs outside itself. Its alien character is clearly demonstrated by the fact that as soon as no physical or other compulsion exists, it is shunned like the plague."