Concepts Of Love And Desire - 2059 Words

Concepts of love and desire cross cultures and time periods, defining human interaction and goals with its powerful effect on the human mind. The line between love and desire is not always clear and people from philosophers to scientists have attempted to understand these complex emotions and how they may be right or wrong. Desire has been characterized mainly as a distraction that can hinder humans on their solitary paths to self- enlightenment, but rather than abstaining from desire entirely to better reach enlightenment, it is should be transformed through the guidance of the wise and made into a valuable resource in the search for truth rather than being seen as the enemy. Desire, when left unguided, can be a problem for those who give into it, however, a desire that has transformed into a sort of love with virtuous intentions can help one on their way to enlightenment when used in the correct way. The types of desire as they relate to what enlightenment is and the way it can be achieved are all of great importance to the potential use of desire as a resource. Unrestrained desire of anything from objects to human bodies must be checked by a set of rules or standards, whether those rules instruct humans to completely rid themselves of desire or to transform desire into something more. Selfish desire is characterized as temporary and ultimately useless or even a hindrance to a man in search of truth and knowledge. According to the teachings of Krishna â€Å"The senses, mind,Show MoreRelatedDesire In The Symposium1508 Words   |  7 Pagesspecifically regarding the role desire plays in a virtuous life. As academics and philosophers who hold high rank in the social system of ancient Greece, these men are praised for their wisdom and eloquence. One such philosopher, Pausanias, gives a speech early in the text that addresses desire as a multifaceted concept, setting the tone for the novel. The Bhagavad-Gita, an ancient Indian text that is much revered in moder n Hindu culture, considers the same concepts of desire and virtue, but is writtenRead More Gender-Based Notions of Homoerotic Love: Sappho and Plato’s Symposium1717 Words   |  7 PagesHomoerotic Love: Sappho and Plato’s Symposium The poetry of Sappho, and the speeches in Plato’s Symposium both deal primarily with homoerotic love, although Sappho, one of the only female poets in Ancient Greece, speaks from the female perspective, while Plato’s work focuses on the nature of this love between men. There are several fundamental elements that are common to both perspectives, including similar ideals of youth and beauty, and the idea of desire as integralRead MoreEssay on Virtue Words928 Words   |  4 Pagesnotable role in propagandas to promoting various thoughts, cultures, life styles or beliefs in an inspiring manner. Love is one of the most powerful and commonly used virtue words, understood primarily as a strong feeling of caring about someone, especially a member of your family or a close friend (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Online, 2013). This definition of the concept however seems rather simplistic and limited in expressing the true meaning of the world, and the means in whichRead MoreThe Symposium And The Bhagavad Gita Essay1725 Words   |  7 Pagescomes to the subject of love and desire, it would seem that The Symposium and The Bhagavad Gita disagree as to whether those qualities are beneficial to achieving spirituality or detrimental. In the Symposium, Plato states that desire is part of the pathway to achieving spirituality. By contrast, the unnamed author of the Bhagavad Gita seems to state that desire is an obstacle in the pathway to achieving divinity. Their perspectives can seen through their texts that connect of love to the divine, Plato’sRead MoreLove And De votion : Everlasting Concepts With Innumerable Meanings1655 Words   |  7 PagesLove and Devotion: Everlasting Concepts with Innumerable Meanings It’s said that college will be the best years of your life. So far college has encompassed the most stressful, depressing, challenging, but above all enriching months of my near nineteen years. Rainbow Rowell of Fangirl once described physical time in college, describing that â€Å"months are different in college, especially freshman year. Too much happens. Every freshman month equals six regular months—they re like dog months†. Over thisRead MoreN/A at the moment Essay example935 Words   |  4 PagesLove is the foundation and the weakness of a totalitarian regime. For a stable totalitarian society, love between two individuals is eliminated because only a relationship between the person and the party and a love for its leader can exist. The totalitarian society depicted throughout the Orwell’s novel 1984 has created a concept of an Orwellian society. Stalin’s Soviet state can be considered Orwellian because it draws close parallels to the imagina ry world of Oceania in 1984. During the twentiethRead MorePlatonic Love In Platos Symposium1415 Words   |  6 PagesPlato’s Symposium attempts to define the eclectic theory of love, a theory that is often believed to be the universal principle that guides mankind’s actions. Plato introduces several narratives in the form of a dialogue that seek to characterize this multifaceted theory of Eros. The meaning of love naturally varies in each narrative. Yet, in this dialogue of love, Plato presents a metaphysical approach to understanding the ambiguous meaning of love. Ultimately, Plato values the perennial quest for knowledgeRead MoreLove And Lust, By And Shakespeare s Measure For Measure, Act Iv.31401 Words   |  6 Pages People love to lust, and because of this the word love is used to disguise the true underlying desires of lust. Love and lust are two abstract ideas associated with men and women in different ways that could potentially lead to corruption of people i n power. Religions are an example where corruption can take place, because of how religions are a type of guidance of how to enforce or live through certain morals/beliefs from a higher institution of power to individuals who follow the guidance givenRead MoreThe Novel Wuthering Heights 1229 Words   |  5 Pagesgeneration. Throughout the novel there are three prominent concepts; love, betrayal, and revenge. The concept of love leads to the desire of revenge. Many of the characters have feelings of suffering and pain due to the concept of betrayal observed throughout the novel. In the novel, â€Å"Wuthering Heights,† the concept of love is obvious and prominent throughout the entire story. The main characters, Catherine and Heathcliff, have a deep passionate love for each other that is pure and true, yet the complicationsRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Poetry Of Sonnets1693 Words   |  7 Pagesseemingly polar opposite to the almost unsavoury, lower-class ‘Dark Lady’ assessed as the featured object of desire within the last 25 sonnets. Although some scholars such as Nelles (2009) neglect the prospect of two separate, distinct and truly gendered narratives, this concept must be considered in reference to the forms of love found between the two dichotomized narratives. While the love felt towards the Fair Youth seems to be more distanced and inactive compared to that within the explicitly physical