Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Last week's post . . .

. . . which I titled Pessimism? was not reflective of my state of mind. Rather, I'd encountered this quote some time ago - as in, months ago - and intended to share some thoughts on it, but hadn't gotten around to it, and didn't want to lose track of it entirely.

I think the quote represents a thoroughly inaccurate understanding of what love really is, unless the author is referring to romantic love, in which case he has described exactly what it ought to be. The illusion that leads us to "fall in love" with another is supposed to yield to something more realistic, and yet as this disillusion occurs and we begin to know the object of our love more thoroughly, the fervor of our initial romance develops into something more beautiful, committed, and enduring.

This happens as we encounter struggles and conflicts in our relationship, and approaching these with an eye toward the beloved's perspective allows us to work through these in ways that build us up together rather than undermining us.

No comments:

Post a Comment