Spirit and the Search for Romance
I've just come home from a first date. Just coffee, you know, about 1.5 hours of "who the hell is this person"?
Am I the only one who feels that the modern practice of "dating" is just a little bit absurd? Back in the day, when we lived as extended families in caves and what not, they didn't have a local Starbuck's where you could meet up with someone who is still virtually a stranger and try to spark "chemistry". Things were a little more intimate from the get-go. There were clan gatherings and sexual initiations and aunts and uncles constantly trying to set you up. That's the society in which the emotions of romance evolved.
Whenever I get back from a date with a new person, I feel sad. Years ago, when I was younger, less experienced, and more desperate, this sadness was covered up with excitement or lust or self-doubt ("Did she like me? Boy she was hot. Will she see me again?") Now that I can cut through that, things are different.
This is the core sadness, the heart of sadness, the basic spiritual longing deep within all of us. It is the old, deep, primordial ache of the original separation from the One. And it comes out after a date like this because of the expectation and artificiality of the situation. Romantic love is a spiritual phenomenon, whether we know it or not. And when it fails to blossom - even if there is still a chance it will blossom later - it reminds us, forcefully, that we are fundamentally alone.
And yes, I had a good time and might see her again. Thank you very much. :-)
Am I the only one who feels that the modern practice of "dating" is just a little bit absurd? Back in the day, when we lived as extended families in caves and what not, they didn't have a local Starbuck's where you could meet up with someone who is still virtually a stranger and try to spark "chemistry". Things were a little more intimate from the get-go. There were clan gatherings and sexual initiations and aunts and uncles constantly trying to set you up. That's the society in which the emotions of romance evolved.
Whenever I get back from a date with a new person, I feel sad. Years ago, when I was younger, less experienced, and more desperate, this sadness was covered up with excitement or lust or self-doubt ("Did she like me? Boy she was hot. Will she see me again?") Now that I can cut through that, things are different.
This is the core sadness, the heart of sadness, the basic spiritual longing deep within all of us. It is the old, deep, primordial ache of the original separation from the One. And it comes out after a date like this because of the expectation and artificiality of the situation. Romantic love is a spiritual phenomenon, whether we know it or not. And when it fails to blossom - even if there is still a chance it will blossom later - it reminds us, forcefully, that we are fundamentally alone.
And yes, I had a good time and might see her again. Thank you very much. :-)
posted by Dr. J at 22:58
1 Comments:
Go Dr. J! How was the interview? Can you share, or have you already signed a confidentiality agreement?
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