h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

i think it is a common misconception that in order to really love someone you must "be willing to die for them". This expression is more often used to describe an infatuation w/out which life is worthless, rather than the selflessness of giving up oneself to make another happy. true love would never demand that you die for it, b/c the feelings of selflessness would be mutual and the person you were in love w/would want you to be happy as well.

i realize that this idea probably originated in the bible, seeing as how Jesus, according to Christian religion, died for us out of divine love. the fact often overlooked, however, is that Christ was raised from the dead, and so his death was more symbolic, to prove his selflessness, rather than the physical death and deprevation of a loved one that the expression above implies.

i think a better test of true love is not the willingness to die (after all, is this not simply an easy way out of difficult situations?) but the willingness to love and be happy even w/out the presence of a loved one (for, if they truly loved you, this is what they would want).

Didn't we already go over this?

I do agree that a good test that you love someone is if you can survive not being around them and still be happy and glad. But I think that, in all kinds of love- not just romantic- the symbolic dying to oneself is still the highest proof of love. If you can give up yourself for what the other person wants (say, travel halfway aroudn the world because the person you love is a missionary), then you definately love them. Or you're just completely crazy, one. I don't think that has to go both ways, at least, not the way that I'm describing it in this forum entry: I'd jump in front of traffic for people who wouldn't so much as take me on a roadtrip. But if it goes both ways, then it's all good. It works kind of like unrequieted love, I guess. I'm not sure. Ok. I'm tired, and I'm hungry, so I'm going to stop now. Please excuse the lack of sense this entry probably made.

*looks at hands* ooooh.... I have sparkles on my hands... coooooool.....

the other day, i was minding my own business when suddenly there were about a hundred tiny sparks flying about in front of me (not like when you look at the sun too long, i could actually wave my hand thru them). it scared me. i think i'm going nuts.

ah, yes, the love thing. i don't know. i think when a lot of people say "i would die for him/her" they really mean "i would die *w/out* him/her" and i don't think that's really love, more dependency. but i think maybe the way *you*'re describing it is perhaps one type of real love, then.

Um, one little tweaking point that may be a sect opinion...

The thing about Jesus dying and rising again, yes it was symbolic, and yes He died in order to show how much He loved us. But also, He died for sins we would have had to *spiritually* die for (goes all the way back to Genesis and the Tree of Life-- not good and evil), and His rising from the dead was to show His/God's power over death. Again, maybe that's just the Baptist way of looking at it, but I'm pretty sure that's something most Christians base their faith on.

that was my point. even *spiritually* he didn't *really* die, b/c he rose from the dead. he died and then *lived* to save us from our sins, not only the former.

*going back, reading over things a second time*

hmm. it was your point. what was i thinking when i wrote that? for some reason that didn't seem implied to me.. i don't know. i'm tired, and i'm getting depressed for no reason again (oh, yippie). please excuse any nonsense coming from my direction. just pat my head and tell me to go back to bed. *yawn*

go back to bed, dear. if there's one thing i've learned from recent events, it's that everything will seem better in the morning (of course, it's quite another thing to say they actually *will* be better, but we need not worry about that now).

ah, yes, but sometimes things seem worse when one awakens... especially if for the second night in a row they have had a very disturbing nightmare in which someone dies because of something *i* didn't do. it's very disconcerting. the bad thing is that it seems so *real*.... *worried sigh*