Sorry I’m a day late guys! The wedding was -- how do you call it? -- a gongshow. Such a gongshow that even my mom said it was a gongshow, and she considers that a swear (yeah, not sure how that works either. She’s also got an issue with “screwed” as in “that’s screwed up”). That being said, it was a total blast too.
Anyway, onto our Tuesdayish discussion post!
There’s one subject that’s so entrenched in most cultures that quite a lot of laws, principles, and morals are solely based on it. Heck, it’s steeped in pop culture, past and present as well as the advertising that plagues us every day.
I’m talking about love, of course.
Think about the songs that you listen to, the movies you watch -- I guarantee that most of the action is because, or revolves around love. For instance, consider “Die Hard”. Do you really think McLane would go through all that trouble for total strangers? I mean, I’d call it a day after everyone but one chick was safe; it’s like a 95% success rate. I’m no keener. 95% is good enough for me. How about the vengeful Gruber’s coming back to mess with McLane’s head in the sequel? It’s all about love really.
Law wise, think about the way that the USA lets people carry guns to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their stuff. It’s essentially saying that if you love something (like that amazing flat screen you got a while back) you can kill anyone who threatens it. Scary.
Now, as all of you know, love is a crazy thing. It’s complex and multidimensional. So my question to you is, why do most stories only develop one type of love -- namely romantic or intimate love?
What happened to unrequited love? Platonic love? Filial?
Personally, I find the different platonic loves much more interesting because it’s more lasting in my eyes. It’s like what, one in four marriages end in divorce after five, ten years? But if you love your brother and he loves you, that relationship lasts. Mainly because you’re family. And as much as family sucks, it’s still family. I mean, chances are you had to live together for years and years. By that time, you’ll either love each other or hate each other and it’d be a very difficult bond to break either way.
Essentially, you may hate your family member, but I’m sure that you love your family. It’s a different, complex, and changing love because each person changes under various influences over time.
Yet, this sort of love just gets a passing mention in most books -- a long hug, maybe some tears being wiped away -- it’s mentioned but never really made real. And I think that’s a shame.
Most people will have a handful (maybe one, maybe more) of lasting intimate relationships, but think of how many platonic relationships you have. The discrepancy is staggering. Especially since we tend to be defined and influenced by platonic relationships just as much as, if not more than, intimate relationships. So what do you think?
