Bigthink - User Ideas Feed

Re: Is there such a thing as unconditional love?

Bigthink — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:43:55 +0100

: You seem to be defining the "condition" on the basis of whether one receives pecuniary or psychic benefit from acting lovingly. I think this is a perversion of the notion of unconditional love. Unconditional love means acting lovingly toward another regardless of whether the recipient of such love is deserving, that is, regardless of the behavior and characteristics of the recipient.

Re: What is the measure of a good life?

Bigthink — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 18:36:40 +0100

I find little useful in hearing people say the measure of a good life is whether one (a) contributes to the world, country, or society, (b) makes the world better, (c) knows what one believes in and is true to it, (3) realizes goals, etc.

In fact, such statements leave me feeling uneasy. Underlying them is a presumption that the speaker knows what is good or better.

By such criteria, an Islamofacist terrorist would measure his life good, but I doubt most would.

To me, the measure of a good life is the extent to which one lives lovingly, peacefully, and in search always of deeper understanding.

Re: What is love?

Bigthink — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:39:07 +0100

: I love this question, so much so that I have Robert Indiana's love tattooed on my left shoulder to remind me every day of how difficult the idea is, not so much so in concept as in practice. In concept, I define love to be living one's life accepting of all others and, perhaps most important, oneself. Of course this means accepting of the good and the bad in oneself and others, which is where the rub comes in. Being accepting of oneself and others does not imply abdication of responsibility. I can be accepting of my addiction to cocaine without denying I have responsibility for my recovery. I can be accepting of one's prejudices without denying he or she has responsibility for seeking wisdom. For me, the greatest rub is found in the notion and application of unconditional love. Unless one is "healthy," unconditional love morphs easily into co-dependence, which denies one the opportunity for greater personal growth and wisdom.

Re: Re: Can love be taught?

Bigthink — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:38:28 +0100

: To answer this question, I think one needs a clearer definition of love (see What is love?). If it is the "ultimate truth at the heart of creation," doesn't that imply love resides in each of us? If so, then perhaps a more appropriate question is whether the love in each of us can be re-awakened and if so how.

Re: What's the matter with media?

Bigthink — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 20:37:24 +0100

: This question vexes me. Because we consume media and if we didn't the media wouldn't exist, the question to be asked is what's the matter with us. As the stepfather of children of a celebrity father, I have had occasions to consider the effects of the media on our lives and what the role of the media should be. When my stepson was 10, he and his father (who had joint custody of the boy) appeared together in a picture accompanying a flattering first-page newspaper story about the father. The reality? The father had promised to spend the day with his son, forgotten the promise, realized there was a photo op, called his ex-wife, and asked her to deliver the boy unto him, which, she did. The newspaper obscured truth and, thereby, added to the myth of the father and his antecedents. Some might find sustenance in the myth and consume it gluttonously. Others (the boy at least) might find despair. Regardless, the fault lies in the father and mother, not the newspaper. Caveat emptor.