Do you believe in soul mates?

Social Forums Non-Philosophical Chat
21

Ben, Ben Ben

logics only work if you have the facts correct, Hun :laughing:

I said IF he ever broke up with his wife, he could come a runnin’ to me!

Men are like…Lava lamps.
Fun to look at, but not all that bright

-natty

22

Magius,

If I can get more than a moment free in the next day I’ll PM you.

Hey Natty,

Goethe wrote in his Elective Affinities:

If you only love one person with all your heart, everybody seems lovable.

You’re a sweetheart, Natty!

Hi Ben,

Do you remember when Shakespeare’s Romeo cried?

Hang up philosophy!
Unless philosophy can make a Juliet.

And then we have Keat’s well known complaint in his Lamia:

Do not all charms fly
At the mere touch of cold philosophy?

And now, quite serious again, I wanted to mention that I find the passions of life and philosophy to be closely related. By chance, have you read Robert Solomon’s, The Passions; Emotions and the Meaning of Life? Solomon; a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas, writes:

“Our passions have been too long relegated to mere footnotes in philosophy and parentheses in psychology, as if they were intrusions and interruptions-sometimes welcome distractions but usually embarrassing if not treacherous subversions of lives that ought to be conceived in “higher” terms. Our passions constitute our lives. It’s our passions and our passions alone, that provide our lives with meaning.”

Romeo needn’t have worried. He could be passionate about his Juliet and his Philosophy. Ben, I’d bet you are as passionate about philosophy as I am. The very name “philosophy” already tells us this thing is about a passion. In my case, philosophy is also romantic. No, of course not candles and soft music romantic; it’s more, to freeze while shaving in the morning when you catch your eyes staring back into your eyes. I’ve stood for long moments with my razor suspended, until the chill in my spine has subsided.

I’m taking a chance here because I’ve never asked another person about this. Maybe everyone already does it, or maybe I’m just plain weird. Whatever the case, I would ask you, anyone actually, to try it at least once. Yes, I know people look at “themselves” in the mirror all the time. But I suspect most people are only asking, “What do I look like to other people?” I’m asking you to pick out your eyes in the mirror, look directly into yourself and ask, “What do I look like to myself?”, or at least, “Do I know you?”

Sartre wrote, "An emotion is a transformation of the world." This is the context of my romanticism. Philosophy is all about my most intense emotions: my place in the world, my relationship with others,…my introspective self. These reasoned emotions transform my world. Poor Keats, he seems to have missed out on the charms of philosophy.

Well, I’ll be merciful and stop now, I don’t want to hijack a perfectly good thread. I just wanted to mention that for me, the passion for life and for philosophy are close cousins.

Michael

23

rass. :astonished:
that was some deep shit.
I particularly liked

wow.
U’re worthy of your own topic.

[size=59](and no I’m not hitting on the married man) :imp: [/size]

24

Hey Magius,

I wrote this as a second PM to you, but after I’d finished I couldn’t think of a valid reason why it had to be a PM.

I wanted to answer your question about love at first sight. I also want to say a few words about the prospect of enduring love.

When I first saw her all I appreciated was her beauty. After I had talked to her for a while I realized she was probably a nice person. Only after a year of dating did I realize that she was far more than just a nice person. She was an incredible person.

Does one discover love, or does one create it? My love wasn’t something “out there” just waiting for the right woman to come along. Simon Blackburn noted similarly that there are no dents “out there” waiting for a the right tin-can to appear in. I’m the author of my romance. It has a beginning and an end, but I choose what to write in-between. It can be an ecstacy or a misery; sky rockets or hand grenades. It’s my choice.

So, once upon a time we fell in love. Big deal, right? It’s improbable that two people out of thousands just so happen to fall in love, still, we know it happens all the time. The cynics remind us that we’ve seen it all before; love begins with a bang and ends with a whimper…or worse. I agree. Though most people would prefer that love is enduring, the stark fact is that even the most passionate love is ephemeral. Love’s shelf-life falls somewhere between that of a pumpkin and a German car.

Neither my wife nor I are the same people we were when we married. People change. People should change! We talk of our hopes for the future, but we often forget that for our dreams to come true requires change in our lives.

One might wonder how anyone knows in their mid-twenties how they are going to feel about the other person by the time they reach their mid-forties. But think how much less certain is the proposition that we shall both continue to love the people we will become.

Love passes and people change. You’ve no choice but to let love run it’s course. But at some point before the the last spark sputters away you can do a remarkable thing. You can use the change in both of you to create a new love. You can discover new reasons to love the person you’ve known for twenty five years when you notice that this is not the same person you’ve known for twenty five years. In short, you embrace the change in each other.

Mignon McLaughlin supposedly made this observation:

“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times,
always with the same person.”

This turns out to be a wonderful thing! It’s as if each blossom on the same rose bush were of a different color and fragrance. Before I tire of the sight of a single blossom two more have opened. A mathematican could spend an entire career immersed only in the study of ellipses. How could I ever tire of finding new ways to love a woman who never stops changing; whose each new blossom is unique?

Michael

25

Very nicely put. That was almost like reading a book. Wooow… that was fun reading that post.

26

Polemarchus stated:

I think the stages you mention are the norm, meaning that is the way it should happen. I always think of attraction as a magnet, it’s what get’s you to the person when you first meet them. Talking is what keeps you with the person for a long time (or sex, but then the relationship is based on infatuation), but living through many experiences along side the person does one come to realize that life is best lived with a partner; which enhances their experiences and the joy for life.

Polemarchus eloquently stated:

Thank you, this made me laugh. :laughing:

Polemarchus stated:

So true. I only wish to add that I think people should have dreams that incorporate or allow change, I believe they would find it much easier for their dreams to come true.

Polemarchus stated:

That was almost arcane. The concept of love for oneself, for most people I know, appears non-existent or only as a glass window with a nice painting on it but nothing behind it. I always associate a person self image to be responsible for their responses towards others. Those who love themselves act in a kind, caring, and congenial manner towards others. While those who don’t love themselves for who they are but love what they do for themselves (ie. make-up, beautiful cars, clothing, jewellry, etc.) project their inner most problems with themselves onto others. Creating a problem before there really is one.

Polemarchus stated:

Max Ehrmann, my favorite poet states in what is my favorite of his poems…“Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.”

What’s your take?

27

i beleive ummmm yeah i beleive, but i wouldn’t say perfect compatability…