Love's proper antidote

Love's proper antidote

fiction
edward w pritchard

Thoughts and emotions routinely arise in us; we know that. Love, compassion and altruistic behavior are thought to be among the highest emotions and are praised as an end to be achieved; a highest order goal for developed mature individual, leading to a tranquil soul.

Negative emotions such as anger and hatred are thought to be curable by cultivation of our noble emotions, such as love, compassion and altruistic behavior toward strangers.

If one does not think philosophically that a force such as Karma or sin causes or rules our thinking and emotions, is there any justification that the positive emotions are of the highest order, as if it is a ranking, or as a value judgment among the emotions.

If emotions and thoughts in humans are dictated by survival and as a proper reaction to circumstance, are the positive emotions more sacred or more legitimate than the destructive ones?

Nietzsche might speculate that Love and Hatred are beyond value judgments and beyond good and evil. The middle way, to seek a balance between your anger and altruism, might be examined. The stoic would not try to be good, but to strike a balance within themselves between good and evil.

What then our intentions? Does nature have rules that if we follow them we will be in harmony and achieve a tranquil soul? And God; has he updated the rule book lately? Does our world have an order?

Love's proper antidote? Contemplate impermanence and time's fast flying arrow and adopt the universal perspective. Put your self interests aside; as long as there is enough rice and beans to fill our corn tacos, peace reigns.
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