Reposted from a couple other journals...

[mik3cap]

"You are what you love, not what loves you." (Adaptation., Donald Kaufman)

When I saw "Adaptation." a couple months ago, that one moment of the movie profoundly changed my perspective on love.

The thing that I realized after hearing those words is that the source of all love comes from within oneself, no matter what. Creating love for others comes from within, obviously. But feeling the love of others is also a function of what a person has inside. It's a solipsist view of love, to be sure, but it makes so much sense to me, and it validates all kind of unrequited feelings and makes it okay to just be content with love that comes from inside me, no matter how it ultimately becomes expressed in the world.

It is enough to just experience love - even on the smallest level, even if you're the only person who feels it, even if it is just for a very short period of time.

Comments

[rantfaery.livejournal.com]

Wow, Mikey, you're a hippie! ;)
*hugs*
Love love to you.

i politely concur.

[meerkitty.livejournal.com]

of course. but i've not seen the movie. would you watch it again in a little bit?

Re: i politely concur.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

Yes! I have to join Netflix...

Re: i politely concur.

[meerkitty.livejournal.com]

possibly, or we could just go to hollywood.
though netflicks is infinitely cooler.

Re: i politely concur.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

When are you free? :)

Re: i politely concur.

[meerkitty.livejournal.com]

potentially the fourth week of this month i ought to be back from RTP. arp at me then? i'm expecting my wild mayan-hieroglyph-reading redneck friend up to go 'boarding sometime that week also, but when exactly is unknown.

Re: i politely concur.

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

No way, mayan heiroglyphs?? That's incredibly cool. I love all things mesoamerican.

So we're talking some time between 2/22 and 2/29... I just joined Netflix and queued up a bunch of cool stuff. :)

Re: i politely concur.

[meerkitty.livejournal.com]

sweet. yeah, and he gets weirder. the boy has climbed all around Teotihuacan and costa rica and that ilk. his 'rents are exotic animal breeders in the bible belt. he's been my friend for 9 years. perhaps you could meet him.

[gower.livejournal.com]

Did the fact that that sentiment was in the part of the movie meant to be a crowd-pleaser affect your enjoyment of that sentiment?

Re:

[mikecap.livejournal.com]

It really didn't. Somehow it caught me completely by surprise, I was utterly disarmed at that point. And yet, I did know that that was what was happening... but I didn't care because the whole thing was just so great. :)

[sirroxton.livejournal.com]

Heh, I enjoyed that film. Did you know that the fictional "Donald Kaufman" got nominated for an Academy Award? :)

I've had that notion built into my psyche since I was a little boy. Your perpetual, blossoming love for the people in this ocean of humanity is what sets you apart. Likewise, the love others give to you reflects not on you, but them, even if experienced by you both.

IMO, it's not solipsist, because part of the reason you value the love is that it really is conferred to the other. Perhaps how you understand the person is all in your head, but it's the knowledge of true otherness that lends the love value.

Dig?

-Adam