Love

[Kendrah]

A philosophical question...

Do you think love should be given to everyone, freely and without charge? And I mean everyone, enemies, lovers, the general populous? Or is that a false idea, but you can keep love in your heart.

The second idea was given to me by a couple co-workers who gasped in horror when I suggested that.

So, I thought I'd include all'ya'll's ideas. _pounce_

:ringaroun

[9-2-2]

I'm currently reading "The Book of Secrets" by Osho, and it's pretty deep stuff so far... takes me several days to get through just one chapter, I gotta go back over it, ya know?

Anyway, it's not about being in love or throwing flowers everywhere... just be love.

[mtpathy]

the philosophy of free love to everyone is a good idea in theory,but isnt so good
when put into practice,in my experience people tend to shy away from it or think
of the person as being weird and will be uncomfterbal around you.
instead i have personally adopted the practice of being accepting towards everyone
and not placing my own personal judgments on there actions.
salutations

[Karma Chameleon]

A philosophical question...

Do you think love should be given to everyone, freely and without charge? And I mean everyone, enemies, lovers, the general populous? Or is that a false idea, but you can keep love in your heart.

The second idea was given to me by a couple co-workers who gasped in horror when I suggested that.

So, I thought I'd include all'ya'll's ideas. _pounce_

:ringaroun


No, I do not believe that love should be freely given nor do I think it is possible to love everyone; for to try and do so cheapens it and makes it meaningless. What is "I love you" worth when you say it to everyone? Love is like respect, it cannot nor should be freely given, must be earned in my book. I would not want to watse it on ingrates and on people who deserve only my hate. Also, if I do not know a person, how could I ever claim that I love them? In order to love someone you have to first know them.

[Kendrah]

No, I do not believe that love should be freely given nor do I think it is possible to love everyone; for to try and do so cheapens it and makes it meaningless. What is "I love you" worth when you say it to everyone? Love is like respect, it cannot nor should be freely given, must be earned in my book. I would not want to watse it on ingrates and on people who deserve only my hate. Also, if I do not know a person, how could I ever claim that I love them? In order to love someone you have to first know them.

I'm not sure how love can be cheapened. There are different types of love, I'll admit to that. The way you love your children is different from the love for your husband, which is different from your neighbor or that person who cut you off. With holding love seems almost judgement in a way. (I'm not saying it is! Don't be offended, just thinking out loud.) Like; "You're worthy, but you aren't."

As for someone not feeling your love is enough because you share the love... There are possesstion issues there and if there are such, I don't think it would matter if you with held love for certain individuals or not. Anyone with the nerve to tell me how my love is (if it's cheap or not) isn't someone I'd want to listen to. No one can tell me if my love has been cheapened because I love my mail wo/man.

For the rest of your arguement, I'm going to have to ponder it. Lots of good points to chew on. Thanks!

[Kendrah]

Anyway, it's not about being in love or throwing flowers everywhere... just be love.

I really wasn't all for the throwing flowers thing. ;) But I like the phraze to be love. That makes more sense of what I was thinking. It's not like you pick out individual persons for love. I'm thinking of an automatic, almost subconscious way of living, where love is like an after effect rather then a conscious desition to be made. Does that make sense?

[Kendrah]

the philosophy of free love to everyone is a good idea in theory,but isnt so good
when put into practice,in my experience people tend to shy away from it or think
of the person as being weird and will be uncomfterbal around you.
instead i have personally adopted the practice of being accepting towards everyone
and not placing my own personal judgments on there actions.
salutations

In a sense, isn't that a form of love? You love them regardless of who they are? It's not like sloppy kisses or hanging on them. But being completely okay with them. It's like love, isn't it?

[Karma Chameleon]

I'm not sure how love can be cheapened. There are different types of love, I'll admit to that. The way you love your children is different from the love for your husband, which is different from your neighbor or that person who cut you off. With holding love seems almost judgement in a way. (I'm not saying it is! Don't be offended, just thinking out loud.) Like; "You're worthy, but you aren't."

I'd never be offended at someone for disagreeing with me, so no worries.

And yes I do see some people as not being worthy of my love, so you are correct, it is a judgement. I would not and could not love a child molester for example. What I mean by cheapening love by saying you love everyone is that love is kinda of like money in that respect, if you print up too much money it brings down the value because it becomes more common and less valuable. When I say I love something or someone it means that I value them above all others.



As for someone not feeling your love is enough because you share the love... There are possesstion issues there and if there are such, I don't think it would matter if you with held love for certain individuals or not. Anyone with the nerve to tell me how my love is (if it's cheap or not) isn't someone I'd want to listen to. No one can tell me if my love has been cheapened because I love my mail wo/man.

I also think too often people will use the term love, when they really just mean like. I might like the people at the restaurant that I eat lunch at, but I by no means love them. I think it is a good idea to be respectful of all humans (and other critters for that matter), and to be polite and perhaps caring, but I see that as different from love. If you were to say you love someone without really even knowing them, then how could you know that you ever really loved them at all and not just the image you had in your head of how they are?

Now as for your mail man (or mail lady as the case may be), if you know them as a person and care about them, that's all fine and dandy. But if you were to tell me that you loved me without even knowing who I am, I'd think you to be a bit nutty. Do you see my point?

[-Ember]

I'm all for the love everybody idea... depending on how one defines love. For example, I've read versions of it that are the "sleep with everyone" version... I have issues with that. Or any version of "love everyone the same way." There are many forms of love.

I do think it is possible to love everyone as a person. It doesn't require that you condone anything they are or do. It doesn't mean you have to like them at all. But to care, just because they are, because they exist are therefore are worthy of being cared about. You may still do things in opposition to what they choose to do, but it isn't them you are against, it is what they do. You can love someone and still find it necessary to do things that they interprete as cruel, you can love someone and still be incompatable with them.

Like the example of a child molestor... I can still find love for them. I can still feel for them as people who have issues. I might not be able to be in the same room with one without attempting homicide, but that doesn't mean I don't love them.

I think the reason most people find the idea impractical is they think love means you give up a lot of your ability to act in opposition to that which is beloved. I don't think that it does. It makes it harder, sometimes, because you can't not feel for them too. But just because you understand the other side or empathize with it, doesn't mean you have to agree with it or follow it. It just really means you don't go beyond what you have to do against the opposition, because you love them as well and don't want to see them hurt either.

[Kendrah]

:bumpsmili

I know there are other opinions out there. Come one! Come all!