Dear Members and Lurkers:
I have often said that if one needs any reason for this human dream it is simply entertainment.... yeh, well... I am going to expand on that.
Emotions (the Mind/Body Conspiracy) as presented in the series serve a few purposes and obviously reproduction of the species is a major one.. but it's not that simple. My experience of a lifetime (so far, a most fortunate one) is that emotions lie, but only ALWAYS! In order to be effective, emotions must appear real in the moment, sometimes very, very real. Ever fallen in love? Like head over heals staggering and dizzy with love for another person, or perhaps even a great pet, dog, cat... some people like snakes too... I could never grasp that one, literally and figuratively. But maybe I'm Serpentius Defectus in some way. Be that as it may.
So now I ''feel'' called to defend my foregoing assertion.... hmm.... what to do. O.K. Think of a time you experienced one of the follow:
1.) Love for another person (that fascination, sexy, intelligent, caring somebody)
2.) Love for another thing (hot car, nice house, new and great motorcycle, I'm big on that one, a new smart phone, etc.)
3.) Love for an intangible (perhaps a scientific formula, a concept of some kind, an exciting book, some new software.)
Once you have something to work with we move on. In your imagination or memory of the''thingy'' I ask that you take it to it's logical conclusion. For example, let's take that ideal lover. Suave and debonair, sexy and seductive. What are they like now. You married them thirty years ago and had three kids, six dogs, three cats and a rubber boa... and now tell me, where is that wonderful, exciting feeling of love you once had. If you still feel great, just give it time. I am obviously an incurable optimist. But it gets better.
On your last trip to S.E. Asian, the object of your love caught hemorrhagic dengue fever and passed away in a pool of bodily fluids... nice ending huh? This is how it ends.. maybe you have another ''object''. Your smart phone slips out of your hands while on a bridge over the Seine in Paris.... gone, gone, gone... besides, it was outdated anyways. Time for a new one. Old one was slow and low res.
I trust I have communicated in my clumsy way that all emotions, given sufficient time, they end up being nothing burgers. It's just the way it is. Now, for the good news. There is a very real reason for this. Still with me?
Imagine that you burn through an emotion, and perhaps take it further. Imagine you burn through ALL emotions. What is left. DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL describes it quite well.
At the end of all emotions one is turned back on oneself and thereby given the opportunity, or more often pushed into the opportunity, to pursue the genuine source of all happiness and beyond. The end of every emotion is...well...the a cul-de-sac and that is the blessing. One can turn around and seek the source of all happiness and joy, or just dig a deeper hole. Up to you.
Your feedback and reflections are always welcome.
Love ya, Jed.