“There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love -- the first fluttering of its silken wings -- the first rising sound and breath of that wind which is so soon to sweep through the soul, to purify or to destroy.”
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
2007-09-11 01:19:49 · 21 answers · asked by Kallan 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Yes -- It is that feeling of being touched so purely, so deeply, that it almost cannot be defined.
I do not believe Longfellow was talking about first love, but that first awareness of feeling love for another -- even if you have been there as many times as Hypnopope, who is now I am sure a Master. At the very least, his words speak great truth.
So many fall for the "love at first sight" thing, and never move beyond the physical attraction of love. But when you take the time to get to know someone to whom you are not attracted in the first place, and then suddenly, as an inspiration, you FEEL it. That "something" -- the first rising sound; you feel that breath of wind -- and it pierces you and you have no choice but to stop and feel Oh -- What is that? How is this person doing this to me?
THAT is what Longfellow is describing. That moment when you did not expect it with a person you did not expect at a time when it was unexpected.
Unexpected love. It is a most beautiful moment. Just beautiful. And it is the kind that lasts.
2007-09-11 11:58:11 · answer #1 · answered by Shihan 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
More than a little off base - but that is the problem - there is just enough truth to make it sound good. Obviously.. not everything is alive, the mysteries of life have a great deal to do with intelligence - What the heck does "The universe is not an intellectual process" mean? and the last sentence is just skewed - we need to think for ourselves when we see this stuff. Be very afraid.
2016-05-17 05:22:42 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can't put it any better than Premaholic.
But I can say from experience that an even more incredible feeling than that is holding your child for the first time. Not to be cliche, but it's true. I had no idea it would be like that until it happened. :)
To think of your own child having the potential to burn in Hell for eternity is ludicrous. I was already atheist, but since then have felt even more incredulous at the thought of Christianity's vengeful god.
2007-09-11 01:40:18 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe a spiritual aspect of this quote would be our acknowledgment that all things were created by God for His glory and honor. The above descriptions represent purity because they were not changed through sin and we can see the purity of God in them.
There are three types of love : agape, eros, and philio. This in my opinion represents the purest form of love, agape, which is defined as:a : (1) : the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2) : brotherly concern for others b : a person's adoration of God.
Eros/erotic love is defined as:a (1) : strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties
Philio love is defined as: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: The city of Philidelphia was named for this type of love.
God loved us enough to create a world filled with beauty that we can enjoy. The wind we feel through our hair, the beautiful birds and butterflies around us, the flowers, sunsets, and sunrises. There is nor purer type of love.
gatita_63109
2007-09-11 02:16:49 · answer #4 · answered by gatita 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Not wanting to turn this into a debate, but as an atheist I see evidence of love and other emotions daily, but none for any supernatural entities.
It's a nice quote, and very romantic. While the first parts of love are very heady and emotional, true love is proved through the years of commitment and sacrifice.
2007-09-11 01:36:54 · answer #5 · answered by Pirate AM™ 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I would agree, except that I'm not sure it's necessarily the first one. Perhaps the first awareness of a love that becomes very real. Or the first feeling each time, if you fall in love more than once. But I do agree on the holiness of it. Isn't that why Christians say "God is love"?
2007-09-11 01:31:30 · answer #6 · answered by auntb93 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with him. If, as your first answerer claims, God is the holiest thing going, that means that God is Love. Because in no way can I consider wrath and jealousy to be holy.
And I know that sounds disrespectful, and I apologize. I feel very strongly about the "goodness" of what I believe to be a universal consciouness that some call "God." I don't mean to diss anyone's beliefs, including the first answerers.
2007-09-11 01:27:11 · answer #7 · answered by ZombieTrix 2012 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think that true love and the joy and such that we feel when we are first in love with someone is a gift from God, so I disagree with the first answerer who answered this for you.
And I agree with Jack B - we do love who and how we are when we're in love - it's good vibrations all over the place.
And Hypnopope is correct too - we do get better at it with practice - and if we're mature and smart enough to learn from our past mistakes.
2007-09-11 07:22:20 · answer #8 · answered by Marvelissa VT 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I think it is the sense of optimism and consciousness of self that gives such intense feeling; when we are in love, we are actually valuing ourselves and viewing ourselves as worthy of another. This is not limited necessarily to the emotion of love or to the first experience, either.
What we love most about love is the person we are when we are in love.
2007-09-11 07:17:33 · answer #9 · answered by Jack B, sinistral 5 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Honestly? Loving gets better with practice, and I'm not (just) talking about the physical component.
2007-09-11 01:58:03 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 0⤋