The March 8, 2022
PinFeed Almanack
What do I mean when I say, 'I love you'?
What do I mean when I say, 'I love you'?
If I'm a small child, I mean I feel warm and fuzzy when you take care of me.
If I'm a teenager, I mean that I feel gratitude for what you've done for me,
and what you do for me, but I wish you'd stop. Or not. Most of us mature
until we can at least say thanks.
To a friend, I mean that I've got your back, and I trust you have mine. As
friendship deepens, the balance sheet can get out of whack, and maybe stay out
of whack for a while, but it's an understood transaction. If it never
balances, the relationship usually fades.
A parent means something else: I will care for you, whether you want it or
not. I give unconditionally, even if you spurn me, or hurt me. Most of us
never aspire to anything greater than parental love. There are limits, even
to parental love, but they are very wide.
Love for siblings or extended family members is like friendship, but it
comes with an obligation to ignore the balance sheet. A lot of family
relationships involve spurning and hurting, so the assumption that the bill
never comes due can rack up considerable pain. Family relationships die hard.
Many of us will eventually take on the burden of a parent who needs, and can
no longer even reciprocate discernibly. Either because we still feel filial
gratitude, or because we have given parental love, we can bear this.
I suppose there are a rare few who attain a god-like love, the ability to love
truly without condition, even in the face of intentional harm, with no
expectation of any benefit. I have never know such a person, but there are
stories.
================================================================================
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
:
Read More...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Please add a comment.
================================================================================
