Romantic Love vs. Platonic Love?

This sculpture is called "Amour et Psyche" by Antonio Canova. He is by far one of my favourite sculptors. He was amazing. If you know Greek mythology you might know the story behind this sculpture of Psyche and Eros. If you know the story, grab a cookie, you've earned one.

A new way of thinking on my part: Romantic love is not a bad thing. To me it always seemed like an underdeveloped form of love felt by teenagers with raging hormones and an obsessive mind. Romantic love, I thought, would always lead to something temporary. But recently my thoughts on this have changed. The Greeks used to believe in many different kinds of love and especially that romantic love is just as real or true as platonic love. Their thoughts on romantic love are actually quite beautiful. They thought that romantic love is an experience that pushes one to try to become a better person for another (something that people are usually not motivated to do). The experience causes you to feel strong and empowered while simultaneously expose your vulnerability. As much of a paradox as it may seem, to them, it was a divine concept that held only positivity.

 Just because something might be temporary does not mean it is not important or should not be considered. Temporary always seemed like a negative thing to me. But it is not necessarily something bad. Life is temporary, furniture is temporary even our emotions are. The Japanese would make much of their furniture out of wood to symbolize the impermanence of life (damn Japanese adding artsyness in everything…). But the temporary nature of something should not take away from the legitimacy or realness of it. After an interesting discussion with my sister I came to this realization. To tell you the truth… whenever someone I would talk to spoke so strongly about “love” and how close they feel to someone, my brain rolled its eyes… (lol). I always figured that this sort of love is just…. Mm… well these people clearly don’t know what they’re talking about because they may feel this temporary love now but they will eventually move on. But now I think I realize that even if you do move on, the understanding of such an abstract idea is… enlightening. I am the type of person that always needs a conclusion to something. So abstract emotions, something temporary and inconclusive… not so much my thing. But I understand now (thank you Greeks… and sister…) that sometimes the very abstract and temporary notion of something can be the most meaningful and beautiful.

Upon further analysis (with sister Sehmbi of course) we came to the conclusion that people go wrong when they try to materialize their love. A feeling so strong and so abstract, we try to fit it into a person. We expect perfection and maybe people who are in this form of love are slightly idealistic. So basically what I am struggling to say is this: we try to materialize such a vast and abstract thing into a person, whether they are good for us or not, our need to materialize what we are feeling sometimes might outweigh the reality of a situation. But it varies… some people end up finding something very meaningful… while others end up with a heart made out of super glue and millions of missing pieces.  Our need to “tell” the person, or be with them is simply the want we have to try to explore and understand the feeling.

Some people end up a mess… and for others (who have found someone with the same feelings/ideals/concepts/emotionality) it works out. But the idea I’m looking at here is this: that one does not always need to express this feeling, and sometimes life seems to work out best when they don’t. When projecting this ideal on someone else (in an attempt to materialize it) I think we might only find disappointment (I am not saying you shouldn’t tell someone the way you feel, but I am simply saying that its always better to have an understanding of the other person and think about things realistically). Imagine romantic love with someone you know is not good for you. Your future holds heart breaks and maybe even never seeing this person again. So I guess my opinion on this matter is very… um individualistic. It’s an experience for the self that doesn’t always require reciprocation from the other person (but of course for those who get it, it’s always a good thing—if it works out that is). Sometimes the best way to channel something so abstract might just be in an abstract way. Think art, music, photography, or dance. Jez… it’s no wonder people sing so much on this topic, it’s a pretty damn intense one (Adele… I feel ya bro, I feel ya… not really…but a part of me yes). Anyways main point here: an understanding of a feeling that can be so divine cannot be fulfilled in a person… (sometimes it can :3). So… this energy can be taken out abstractly, just in the way that it came :]

Anyways a beautiful concept that I have open my mind to. Speaking of love… there is a chocolate chip cookie lying on my desk right now and if you’ll excuse me I need to show it some lovin’ if you know what I mean. Till next time fellow lovers. Cheers!

~YEE YEE!

Hearts&Sheit! <3