Another Embryonic related post. This one comes from a line in the song 'If'. The line is “Love is powerful, but not as powerful as evil”. I couldn’t accept that line. Love has meant a lot to me as I journey through space camped on this little planet. Love is a force of unification, a common ground for sharing. It is an inspiration for discovery and creation. It gives hope and purpose and reason to life. It is countless things and cannot be fully described by the words, music, paintings, movies or anything else we have invented.
How can evil be more powerful than something this wonderful. Surely love conquers all. But then I got to thinking, this time prompted by another song in Embryonic – 'impulses'. When you see a race between two people and one of them comes first, then it is safe to assume that person is faster and more powerful. Now think of the impulses we get in everyday life. It seems like a negative one is almost always first. Take these three scenarios for example:
Scenario 1: When something bad is said about me. I get the impulse to defend my honour (passively or aggressively). On top of this I feel the urge to accuse and debase the other person's values. Then running a very slow second place is the impulse to take the criticism on board and use it to improve myself, or to simply recognise it as an inconsequential comment that does not define who I am.
Scenario 2: When nothing overly provocative happens. Maybe I have a day free and all I feel compelled to do is surf the net, watch mindless TV or crack one out for the hell of it. Again crossing the line a little behind the others is the impulse to go for a jog, play some music or do some chores to help myself or others.
Scenario 3: This one is tough to admit, but this occurs during the times when I am doing something proactive. Something that stems out of love itself, like creating music or writing this blog. But there is the impulse apparent in me that is craving recognition and praise for my efforts (please comment positively and plentifully below and fill my ego with self satisfaction). Or when someone shares with me in an act of love, I enjoy and learn from it. But then part of me is jealous that I didn’t learn that thing myself. I didn’t create it. Why can’t I be better?
Even when the perennial second place getter - Love itself - is the primary force behind my actions or someone elses, there is an ever present sense of evil behind it.
I guess my point is that if humans are the highest vessel for love to grow from then it is still a very young and undiscovered force…
- Eden (while listening to Perfect From Now On – built to Spill)
Thoughts on Evolution: Intelligence in its infancy
Thoughts on Evolution: Physical evolution in its infancy?
I was thinking about that line just last night on my way home from work! So many thoughts stemmed from that line...
ReplyDelete• Firstly I disagreed with it. Yet I didn't like the fact that I was disagreeing with my favourite band. It then occured to me that its ok to think differently to others, even those who you agree with most often, we're all individuals and that's whats beautiful.
• Secondly I wondered if Evil really is more powerful than Love. I never came to a yes or no answer, I think there is a strange balance at play... like the song says, we're all capable of evil, and we're all capable of loving. In countries around the world where people are being punished for no reason under hideously evil regimes, they still manage to love and in fact I'd imagine they love more so because they realise how important it is. So evil is almost essential in a way perhaps? No that cant be true, but when exposed to evil love prevails. Its a passive force, not an aggressive force.
Great post man.
I think the balance is a key feature. It gives more weight to the yin and yang concepts when you look at it this way.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to say that it is almost essential. like love is a positive force relative to evil, but perhaps it is just a natural force that is hindered by evil...or vice versa.
I guess what I wanted most to say in this is that although evil is still always present. So is love. Which comes back to choice, a big thing that Embryonic has brought out of me. We ultimately have control to choose love no matter how much more present evil may be. And choosing it is like a natural selection in evolution.