Love, Hate (+Hurt) III

Ms Ng had said that humans are all created with the capacity to love. We also want to be loved. The need to love and the need to be loved is there. I'd said in "Love, (Hurt,) Hate": "To love because of a need implies that the love is tempered with a selfishness." It would seem then that it is because of a self-seeking, self-serving interest that humans give love. Ms Ng said that sometimes, when we don't get the right love, even bad love will do.

We hear stories of the lonely, desolate, distressed, depressed, depraved breaking down and crying when they say they experience God's love. Isn't this a case of "when we don't get the right love, even bad love will do"? Any kind of love will suffice for humans, even bad love. Bad love is sad. To have seen the ugliness of this world and then be touched by a love, any kind of love-it is natural that humans will be overwhelmed by emotions. It need not necessary be God's love.

To walk to the end of the spectrum of extreme emotions and then come back, it is strange how apart from touching and reaching out to the/a soul, this/a love can hurt. Guess that's why the wretched cry when they say they experience God's love. Because they feel hurt simultaneously. It is incomprehensible how a love can soothe while bringing with it a sense of bitter(sweet)ness, sorrow, pain and anguish.

Longing II

In War And Beauty, there was a conversation among the Ladies-in-waiting. Regarding serving the Emperor one of the Ladies-in-waiting said: "Gentle but not passive. Active but restrained. It's good to be shy. But still you have to flirt a bit. That's between denial and acceptance." The Lady was creating a thrill within the Emperor in the longing for her.

I do not advocate having a glimpse of what can never be, what can never happen, what you can never have because then arises longing. Longing stems from a need although at first instance, it may seem to have stemmed from a want instead. But no, longing boils down to a need, Man's basic and primal, animalistic instinct to dominate, own, possess. To give and receive.

It is indeed cruel to be filled with the desire and then denied your wish. To long.

Conscience

Prof asked yesterday if we have a remote control which button when pressed, would cause all the SUN profs to fall dead, if we would choose to press the button. There would be NO consequences ie. the authorities will not come after you. He'd give us a pill that would take away any feelings of guilt. Would you do it?

Interesting question. If we've a pill that will erase any emotions that we have when we press the button, so that there's nothing to hold us back from pressing the button, essentially that's no different from a robot killing someone.

What if there's no pill? Would you still kill all the SUN profs if there are no consequences? You may think that there's no benefit in killing SUN profs. If I say there's a distant relative who's filthy rich and he will leave you his inheritance, will you do it? Interesting. Some people actually say yes.

The point is most others feel that the act of killing people is morally wrong. There's something inside that tells us it's wrong, that holds us back from performing evil deeds, that prevents us from killing people. It's the sense of right and wrong, the sense of moral justice, our conscience.

I know that much as I hate or dislike certain people, people who've hurt me before, people who've made me suffered, I will not take revenge given the chance to do so. I cannot see myself pushing them off the edge of a cliff when they are struggling to maintain a foothold. Another instance would be escaping from a sinking ship. You want to abandon the ship but you feel an obligation, a calling to stay behind and help the ones onboard who are still trying to get out of the ship. In both scenarios, conscience is at work. Conscience is the force that prevents you from 落井下石 when you see your old enemies struggling. Conscience is the hand that stops you from leaving the sinking ship, leaving the rest of the passengers in lurch and pulls you back to help them leave the ship safely. Conscience is innate. Conscience sometimes will kill you. Conscience sometimes can save you too-save you from yourself.