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July 26, 2005 I was reading an article on usless-knowledge.com the other day when I stumbled across a horrible and/or often misused phrase. I would absolutely love it if this phrase was never used unless it was in the context of its own condemnation. The disgusting phrase I am speaking of is ‘unconditional love’. The task of breaking down ists meaning is quite simple. It is the feeling of love without any conditions upon which its continuance is reliant. This concept is completely illogical, morally reprehensible, and for me, plain inconceivable. Love is a feeling of intense admiration, connectedness, care, and concern directed toward a person, idea, or object. The phrase ‘unconditional love’ is always directed toward a person for the reason. Most often this phrase is directed toward a family member or significant other. If you have ever directed this phrase toward someone or used it in positive light, I want you to ask yourself a few questions. Would you continue to love the person you claimed to love unconditionally or the person you love most if they verbally attack you till the end of their days? Would you love them if they were to steal all you money and worldly possessions? Would you love them if they destroy all your hopes and dreams for the future? Would you love them if they were to kill and destroy everyone and everything that you love on this earth? If you answered “no” to any of these questions then there are conditions that your love is based on and you are not capable of feeling unconditional love for another person. If you answered “yes” to any of these questions then you are capable of an irrational and tainted love. Now let me address the ways in which this phrase is often misused. It is used with the meaning that the loved one is allowed to make mistakes from time to time. It is even used to mean that the loved one can commit malicious actions to a certain extent against the lover and still be loved. If there are any conditions whatsoever then it should obviously not be called unconditional love. I guess you could replace the phrase with “love with a relatively few conditions”. Hell, you could even devise a rating system to convey the relative amount of conditions. But don’t use the phrase unless you really mean it. And, if you really mean it, please stay as far away from me as possible because I despise you. My love is highly conditional. It contains the condition that the person does not purposely cause significant harm to me in any way. It is also contingent on the condition that I enjoy that person’s company, which contains many sub-conditions. Someone receiving my love would also have to believe in and live by values and ideals that do not considerably conflict with my own. P.S. Such stringent requirements will not be placed on any children that I may have until I deem that they have reached full adulthood. ------------ About the author Greg Cross: I am a 20 year-old college student who has been influenced by the ideas and writing of the brilliant Ayn Rand. I wish to note however, that any views I express are not necessarily an accurate reflection of her objectivist philosophy. Email: gregcro55@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com. Please link to this article rather than copying and pasting it onto your site (which would be unauthorized and illegal). |
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