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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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Timmy raised the following points:
"A falls in love with B. Who releases (released?) the hallucinogen?
As an extra question, 'If I fell for the wrong gender, caused by a sensitisation to a hallucinogen (I am assuming that I am A and that B released the stuff) and that explains how I know I am homosexual, what about those who have never experienced love? How do they know they are homosexual?' "
Deeej was spot-on as regards the first question; unlike pheromones, which are chemical secretions designed to attract a partner, the 'hallucinogen' is released internally and is intended to strengthen the bond after it has been established. Incidentally, with regard to Arich's comments, underarm odour is widely believed to be a pheromone - I guess it doesn't work with everybody!
The second question doesn't therefore apply, but in that context it's worth mentioning (and in what follows the words 'love' and 'a hallucinogen' are pretty much interchangeable) that it is of course perfectly possible to have sex, or even form a lasting relationship without love. In the latter case, there may be a great deal of mutual affection and respect; the partners may even regard themselves as being in love, but it isn't the real thing. Real love is a sensation very similar to that induced by certain mind-altering drugs; it can profoundly change our outlook on all other aspects of life.
Unhappily, there doesn't seem - yet! - to be any mechanism to ensure that love is reciprocated, and that can give rise to unfortunate consequences!
Turning to Timmy's (and Deeej's) comments about Asperger's Syndrome, I don't know enough about the subject to respond in depth. I was merely repeating something I had read, but I could just as easily have referred to Autism, as I've read similar comments about that condition. If I have correctly understood the arguments, the theory seems to be that, apart from environmental factors, certain medical conditions may have as a symptom a very strong aversion to physical contact. This need not be accompanied by an aversion to companionship, and thus some individuals may welcome friendship - though often they might find difficulty in actively seeking it. In such cases, there could be a gender bias in terms of attraction, as I indicated in my earlier post, but the contact aversion would make the idea of sexual relations utterly repugnant. Such an individual would thus be asexual (literally, without a sexual attraction to either males or females). As I suggested, the jury is still out on the true nature of asexuality; some argue that it is a point on a single spectrum of sexuality which also embraces heterosexuality and homosexuality, but others contend that it is akin to a phobia, and thus - theoretically - amenable to corrective therapy. I'm no expert, but my gut feeling pushes me towards the latter alternative.
Incidentally, though it's a fair while since I read the story, the condition is explored in Mihangel's 'Not Understood', in Timmy's 'Story Shelf'; it's well worth a read.
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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cossie wrote:
> In the latter case, there may be a great deal of mutual affection and respect; the partners may even regard themselves as being in love, but it isn't the real thing. Real love is a sensation very similar to that induced by certain mind-altering drugs; it can profoundly change our outlook on all other aspects of life.
>
The acute state of intoxication of falling in love is certainly like a hallucinogen, and can certainly profoundly change our outlook.
But I'm worried about the comment about "real love" - my own experience, and the experience of a few couples I've talked to about this, is that the "initial falling in love feeling" transmutes over some years into something rather different. My suspicion is that many people expect the "initial falling in love" feeling to continue unchanged forever - and that the high breakup rate of relationships in Western society is related to people seeking to change partners in order to re-create this first phase.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
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cossie
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On fire! |
Location: Exiled in North East Engl...
Registered: July 2003
Messages: 1699
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... natural selection hasn't yet adapted to 21st century mores. But, even from a Darwinian point of view, the 'altered state' will only continue until the child is 'weaned' - say six or seven years. And the 'potential' for love lies within all of us, whether or not we are capable of procreating. I'm not suggesting that natural selection always follows the apparently logical path - if that were so, it would have favoured sperm able to remain viable at a higher temperature, rather than favouring gonads outside the main body mass. In fact, natural selection follows the path of success, rather than the path of convenience.
So, reflecting NW's comments, 'hallucinogenic love' has a limited shelf-life, but it may well lead to a long-term affectionate relationship.
Nevertheless, I accept that some individuals may be compelled to seek the hallucinogenic effect again. No-one suggested that natural selection had achieved perfection - it is, and will forever remain, an ongoing process.
For a' that an' a' that,
It's comin' yet for a' that,
That man tae man, the worrld o'er
Shall brithers be, for a' that.
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