Sunday, February 13, 2005

Something to chew on ....

Ann Althouse recently linked to a question that ought to arouse the interest of all readers of fiction:
"In a search for meaningful relationships in life, which is the better choice: a passionate engagement with a person who has obvious faults, ill-suited to your needs and temperament, or a calm and steady affection for someone who inspires little else?" Read the whole thing : http://althouse.blogspot.com/2005/02/question-chewed-over-last-night.html

My own take is that passionate engagement tends to be temporary by its very nature. And it is not of our choosing anyway. It is something that happens to us -- the word comes from the Latin passio, meaning "to suffer, to be acted upon." Love, by contrast, is something that one does. One can grow in love. Passion seems usually to fade away sooner or later. Of course, when we are in its grip, if it is satisfied we come near to experiencing ecstasy; if it is thwarted, though, we feel as if we are in hell. Better it propel a novel than one's life.

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