Can a woman love a man?

[Alexiev]

Can a woman love a man just as much as men love women?

Atla says men love women, but doesn’t think women can love men equally the same as a man loves them.

Are women just Jezebel’s in a man’s eye, and could men ever believe that there are women out-there who could love them just as equally as they love them.

Discuss.

Men are more romantic than women (although as the culture becomes more egalitarian that is changing). Women are more practical than men. This is, of course, an over generalization, but it is largely true. Romance refers both to eros, and (more generally) to the mysterious and adventurous. That's why romance movies and novels end with an engagement or a marriage. Marriage ends (or at least diminishes) the adventure and mystery. The relationship becomes more prosaic and mundane (although it might be just as "loving".

However, women are becoming more romantic. I'm an (aging) mountain climber. I notice that there are almost as many women as men hiking and climbing, these days (especially on the Pacific Crest Trail, thanks to Cheryl Strayed). Mountaineering is a romantic activity (it's adventurous and mysterious -- one doesn't know what one will encounter). Thirty years ago, 90% of the hikers and climbers in the high mountains were men. Today, there are almost as many women -- and when just hiking, often more women.

[godelian]

I recognize that you are referring to romantic love, but what about the love of parents for their children ...

The love of parents for their children still conditional. For example, if the child becomes a drug addict, the parents may very well kick it out of the house. There will always be rules to obey.

[Alexiev]

I recognize that you are referring to romantic love, but what about the love of parents for their children ...

The love of parents for their children still conditional. For example, if the child becomes a drug addict, the parents may very well kick it out of the house. There will always be rules to obey.

That's a non sequitur. Parents may kick children out and continue to love them. Spouses might put their spouses in a nursing home and continue to love them.

[godelian]

I recognize that you are referring to romantic love, but what about the love of parents for their children ...

The love of parents for their children still conditional. For example, if the child becomes a drug addict, the parents may very well kick it out of the house. There will always be rules to obey.

That's a non sequitur. Parents may kick children out and continue to love them. Spouses might put their spouses in a nursing home and continue to love them.

I don't particularly listen to what people say. I mostly look at what they do. There are no nursing homes here in SE Asia. Children would never do that to their elderly parents.

[Alexiev]

The love of parents for their children still conditional. For example, if the child becomes a drug addict, the parents may very well kick it out of the house. There will always be rules to obey.

That's a non sequitur. Parents may kick children out and continue to love them. Spouses might put their spouses in a nursing home and continue to love them.

I don't particularly listen to what people say. I mostly look at what they do. There are no nursing homes here in SE Asia. Children would never do that to their elderly parents.

So you're saying SE Asians do practice unconditional love?

[godelian]

So you're saying SE Asians do practice unconditional love?

Certainly not. Unconditional love is not a legitimate practice anyway.
I do not love anybody unconditionally and I do not expect anybody to love me unconditionally.
That kind of expectations are delusional.

[Alexiev]

So you're saying SE Asians do practice unconditional love?

Certainly not. Unconditional love is not a legitimate practice anyway.
I do not love anybody unconditionally and I do not expect anybody to love me unconditionally.
That kind of expectations are delusional.

You clearly love yourself unconditionally. Anyone who loved conditionally could not possibly love you. (Do you think the Asian children who care for their aging parents don't love them? I thought you judged by actions, not words.)

[godelian]

You clearly love yourself unconditionally.

When I perform well, I love myself. When I badly fail, not so much.

Do you think the Asian children who care for their aging parents don't love them? I thought you judged by actions, not words.

Like so many things in life, it is more related to a sense of duty than to love.

[promethean75]

"There are no nursing homes here in SE Asia. Children would never do that to their elderly parents."

Forget the name of it, but it's a fallacy something about attributing the wrong cause to an effect. The effect 'never doing that to elderly parents' is believed to be caused by the asian loving the parent, while in fact, not having enough money and there not being a large market of nursing homes are the real reasons for never putting a parent in a nursing home.

Of course, there are some asians who still wouldn't do it even if they could afford it, but the vast majority probably would.

Another reason might be because many asians can't afford their own places, so end up staying in the home they grew up in. In that case, they don't have the authority to make mom or pop go to a nursing home.

[Alexiev]

You clearly love yourself unconditionally.

When I perform well, I love myself. When I badly fail, not so much.

Do you think the Asian children who care for their aging parents don't love them? I thought you judged by actions, not words.

Like so many things in life, it is more related to a sense of duty than to love.

For many people, love is a duty. To "love your neighbor as yourself" is a duty for Christians. Many parents (and children) see it as their duty to love. They see love as an act of will, rather than an emotion that occurs willy nilly.

[Fairy]

I recognize that you are referring to romantic love, but what about the love of parents for their children ...

The love of parents for their children still conditional. For example, if the child becomes a drug addict, the parents may very well kick it out of the house. There will always be rules to obey.

That's a non sequitur. Parents may kick children out and continue to love them. Spouses might put their spouses in a nursing home and continue to love them.

There is never any obligation for anyone to love their child, or their spouse under any circumstance or situation. Loving your child or spouse (relative) is always going to be a conditioned ''appearance'' of Unconditional Love already being this absolute being. LOVE is absolute not relative.

No one loves another, no one loves a child, or a spouse ( relative ) There's just absolute unconditional love, already this, loving or not loving.

[godelian]

They see love as an act of will, rather than an emotion that occurs willy nilly.

ChatGPT: Can you force yourself to love someone?

Love is a complex emotion that often can't be forced. While you can cultivate feelings of affection and appreciation through shared experiences, understanding, and communication, genuine love typically develops naturally over time. It’s important to be honest with yourself about your feelings and recognize that mutual connection is key to a healthy relationship.

I agree with ChatGPT on the matter.

I will never force myself to love someone and I do not expect anybody else to force themselves to love me.
I will stick to my end of the bargain while I expect the other side to do the same.

[Fairy]

They see love as an act of will, rather than an emotion that occurs willy nilly.

ChatGPT: Can you force yourself to love someone?

Love is a complex emotion that often can't be forced. While you can cultivate feelings of affection and appreciation through shared experiences, understanding, and communication, genuine love typically develops naturally over time. It’s important to be honest with yourself about your feelings and recognize that mutual connection is key to a healthy relationship.

I agree with ChatGPT on the matter.

I will never force myself to love someone and I do not expect anybody else to force themselves to love me.
I will stick to my end of the bargain while I expect the other side to do the same.

Can you prevent yourself from liking someone?

In the context of 'liking' being a synonym for 'loving'.

[Fairy]

The body can never fake emotion or feeling.

There is no 'I' in the body. The body is intelligence, it's doesn't need a someone driving it's engine.

[Fairy]

So who is being careful not to get run over when crossing a busy road?

The brain is. The brain is a super-computer. It remembers things that have actually happened by gathering the information at the time of event and simultaneously storing it to memory.

You first have to put your hand in a flaming fire to know it's not a good idea, and to know not to do it again, and that kind of stuff.

Gravity is instinctual because the brain is already being tethered down to earth; else it would be weightlessly spinning around in outer-space forever with nowhere to land. Gravity is both our friend and our foe at the same time.

It draws us close to each other, object to object, and at the same time gives us space from one another. It's so intelligent.