"If you love something, set it free"
This was a passing comment between Grant and myself this morning in the Florida room.
I had to walk into the living room to collect myself. It offended most of my senses and now it's stuck in my head and I find it increasingly irritating. So, you know, the proper protocol is to inflict it on all of you...
This is right up there with the "is the glass half full or half empty" thing to me - which you all know I fucking hate.
And again, it's just simply HALF - no more, no less. It's MATH.
I came back out to the Florida room and said, "What the hell does that even mean?!" - because I don't get it.
He repeated the whole thing - which helped me understand it, not at all.
-Richard Bach
Earth sign alert! Earth sign alert!
Terra Firma!
Foundation! Roots!
Structure! Cultivating! Building!
Red alert! Red alert!
All senses fully offended!
If you love something, you don't set it free!
If you love something - you nurture it, you care for it, you love it, you make it feel safe and secure, you make sure it's at least content, you cherish it, you give it a wide range to grow, you protect it with everything you're worth, you don't sell it, you don't trade it, you don't give it away, you're loyal to it, you're devoted to it, you live for it, you're willing to die for it and you don't treat it cheaply.
Oh my God... and if you can set it free, you didn't love it enough in the first fucking place!
My head may explode.
I admit it, I called Richard Bach an idiot.
Sorry, Richard - I'm sure you're a lovely person, on the inside...
Now this quote...
- Joan Crawford
...I can at least understand.
Yes, love is a fire...it has burned down my house a couple of times:
ReplyDeleteBach is an idiot - I agree.
I think the idea that you can own another living thing is an illusion. The idea that Richard Bach's books were profound was also an illusion so there is a nice symmetry there.
ReplyDelete... and if you can set it free, you didn't love it enough in the first fucking place!
ReplyDeleteHmm let’s examine a few things…
If you love something - you nurture it, you care for it, you love it, you make it feel safe and secure, you make sure it's at least content, you cherish it, you give it a wide range to grow, you protect it with everything you're worth, you don't sell it, you don't trade it, you don't give it away, you're loyal to it, you're devoted to it, you live for it, you're willing to die for it and you don't treat it cheaply.
So nothing you stated implies ownership. You cannot own people. You should not try to own people. You should see people for whom they are and not try to, or expect them to, change.
Bach is trying to embrace this fact. If you love something you do all the things you mentioned especially “you give it a wide range to grow”. You set it free to do what it needs to do.
“…if it comes back to you, it’s yours – if it doesn’t , it never was.”
Under rational examination of this statement we see that “you give it a wide range to grow” and if it leaves and never comes back it didn’t love you back. It wasn’t mutual, get over it. You don’t own and you can’t keep it hostage or captive…. Okay you can try but eventually there will be consequences.
any other questions???
the Ponti has spoken again.
"You don’t own and you can’t keep it hostage or captive"...
ReplyDeleteA cistern in my basement says otherwise!
Oh fuck I can relate to that. And an Aries said that fire quote! You already knew that, didn't you? lol
ReplyDeleteI feel that way too. My love is going to illuminate you or destroy you. No in between.
The 'love someone set them free thing' i think is about stalking. In other words, stalking isn't love. And if you can't keep someone around with free will time to MOVE ALONG and let them go.
Not that if you love someone you just have a hippy-like free-love attitude about the whole thing.
And besides.. if I let someone go?
You ain't ever coming back.
lol
and btw your blog is gorgeous, just like you. Let's get you syndicated.
ReplyDelete