Peggy Lee sings about it. It's passion.
It's FIRE.
Which means it's dangerous.
The Beatles sing "All you need is love." Tell that to the estimated 10.4 million single mothers and 2.5 million single fathers in the US. I might politely suggest that love is far from their most immediate needs. Of course, conversely, trying to explain THAT to the roughly 3,000 people A DAY that commit suicide may be a difficult argument--for more than one reason; chiefly because trying to explain anything to a dead person is a bit of a moot point, hm?
What argument am I trying to make here? Love is perilous. It's hazardous to our health and overall well-being as we put ourselves in such an incredibly vulnerable state that we are susceptible to almost anything. Why is this? Love is empyreal. We have so many chemicals that almost literally put our bodies into auto-pilot that we find ourselves often times feeling like we have no control over our emotions, namely love. Estrogen, Testosterone, Serotonin, Oxytocin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine....these, and more, are some of the culprits that lead to our "love." Love is almost literally a drug. It can't be described adequately with words, sure; but the discourse one might have after an experience is usually great, especially if that person experiences any pain related to it. Indeed, there are other ineffable experiences like having a child, colours, the soul, etc, but love is the most intoxicating and obsessive, and can leave a person in such a state of disarray that they might be almost unrecognizable by those who "know" them.
I'm not one to "bag" on love usually. I'm a firm believer in pleasure, and experiencing love and almost everything that it brings with it can be truly sublime--for however long it might last. So is it really as the moth explains? (See below)
the lesson of the moth
By Don Marquis, in "archy and mehitabel," 1927
i was talking to a moth
the other evening
he was trying to break into
an electric light bulb
and fry himself on the wires
why do you fellows
pull this stunt i asked him
because it is the conventional
thing for moths or why
if that had been an uncovered
candle instead of an electric
light bulb you would
now be a small unsightly cinder
have you no sense
plenty of it he answered
but at times we get tired
of using it
we get bored with the routine
and crave beauty
and excitement
fire is beautiful
and we know that if we get
too close it will kill us
but what does that matter
it is better to be happy
for a moment
and be burned up with beauty
than to live a long time
and be bored all the while
so we wad all our life up
into one little roll
and then we shoot the roll
that is what life is for
it is better to be a part of beauty
for one instant and then cease to
exist than to exist forever
and never be a part of beauty
our attitude toward life
is come easy go easy
we are like human beings
used to be before they became
too civilized to enjoy themselves
and before i could argue him
out of his philosophy
he went and immolated himself
on a patent cigar lighter
i do not agree with him
myself i would rather have
half the happiness and twice
the longevity
but at the same time i wish
there was something i wanted
as badly as he wanted to fry himself
archy
Maybe it is worth all the pain and agony that could [possibly] accompany it. As for me and my house, I'm sure we'd break if we endeavored it any time soon. So, for now I'll enjoy half the happiness but twice the longevity of my mental health.
Here's to happiness, tranquility and mental health....hopefully I find a treasure map to them soon.
