Sumeet's Thoughts

Best Fight Scene Ever

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I’ve never seen this movie, but now I kind of want to. It has totally unrecognizable actors, corny dialogues, and everything else that made Steven Seagal a star.

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2 comments March 28th, 2006

The Unconditionality of Love

As my uncle (Masarji) and I were driving up to Hillsborough to pick up their new dining table, we had another interesting talk.

Masarji explained to me that unconditionality was necessary for true love. He believes most relationships aren’t actually based on love in its truest form. For example, two best friends who love each other (not necessarily romantically) can drift apart due to some catastrophe - or even due to some minor thing.

Similarly, Masarji believes most couples don’t truly love each other. If they did, divorce or separation would be an impossibility. But we all know that spouses can commit a handful of action that are deal-breakers in most relationships.

These loves aren’t true, because each requires a degree of decency from the other to sustain their relationship. So, they aren’t unconditional.

Masarji said he hadn’t yet discovered a relationship that is categorically based on true love. The nearest relationship he’d found was that of a parent to a child, and I agree 100%.

Parents exhibit a love for their children that can’t be explained except to say, “Well, they’re parents.” Funnily enough, that explanation usually suffices.

Masarji pointed out that if a child committed a serious crime, he would still be welcome back in his home. His parents could punish him, and they could report him to the authorities, but they wouldn’t do this out of malice, fear, or even respect for the law. They would do this because they felt it was the best thing they could do for their child. If they didn’t belive this, then they would probably shelter the child and hide his crime to the best of their ability. If they did turn him in, though, they would punish themselves for having harmed their child - even though it was for his own good. This is a true reflection of a parent’s love as I have seen it and come to believe it. Of course, there are exceptions to this (hence why this doesn’t fully meet Masarji’s definition of love), but in general I think this is true.

I have to admit that I find it hard to deviate from Masarji’s perpective. “True love” is a term so often used that it’s been canonized to the point where its sanctity blurs its definition. We just assume it means something like, Of or relating to the driving force behind ‘Sleepless In Seattle’. But the mystical quality of true love is not something we can achieve. It’s ascribed to relationships ordained by fate to have it. The real quality of true love is something we can achieve. It’s a state of mind and soul fostered by feelings of good. I like to think that we can control our feelings. It’s just very difficult. That might explain why examples of true love are so hard (or impossible) to find.

This post is dedicated to my Mom.

The discussion is more active at Shoutwire.

8 comments March 28th, 2006

The Grand Canyon Skyway

Damn Interesting has a fascinating post about a project slated for completion in August for the Grand Canyon. The gist of it is a horseshoe-shaped bridge extending over a cliff with a glass bottom that people can walk on. Freaked out yet? No? Check out the photos:

If you’re not a little nauseous by now, you’re a stronger soul than me.

Add comment March 28th, 2006

Idiot Goalie

In Soccer, Goalies are supposed to protect the goal from oncoming opposition. But sometimes opposition can come from behind. I have to think that this goalie’s teammates should have said something to alert him. In Basketball, we always tell a player when a defender is approaching from behind.

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Add comment March 28th, 2006

Unneccesary Censorship

I’ve never watched the Jimmy Kimmel Show, but after coming across this video clip I might start He really hits the ball out of the park with this montage of news clips with innocent words censored out to make us think the person said something else.

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Add comment March 28th, 2006