On Wisdom: Principles: Love

Music: Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor
By  J.S. Bach. Sequenced by George Pollen.

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1. Love is the longing of all life for being. 2. Love for others is the longing for the being of others, an emotion without which neither we nor the human species would survive. 3. Love for others motivates altruistic behavior; that is, behavior not in the interest of one's own personal survival. Thus paradoxically one's longing for being can bring one's own being to a premature end. 4. Love for others is also the basis for moral behavior. For when all are loved, each has equal dignity and worth. 5. Love for others is, however, merely an extension of love for being, upon the strength of which depend all love, all happiness, and all pleasure. 6. The more love, the more being; the less love, the less being. 7. Thus those who love only themselves restrict themselves to one, while those who love only one other restrict themselves to two. Those who love only their own family, tribe, or nation, excluding others, are similarly restricted. There can be no true communion, not even with oneself, without love for all being, or for being itself, or for God. Next: The Principles of Wisdom: Ecstasy Previous: The Principles of Wisdom: Harmony On Wisdom: Table of Contents