Summary
We had a great first class together. In a short period of time, I was able to learn a great deal about each person and also share a lot about myself. It was fascinating to learn about everyone's views and ideas about love. Our first session seemed rather intimate, which is a good thing in my opinion because most college classrooms don't seem to encourage student interaction. I feel like I can really share my opinions in this class because it's a pleasant environment. All courses, in my opinion, ought to be like this, where students are able to interact with and learn from one another rather than just the teacher.
My theory on love:
Although love is a wonderful thing, society and humanity have turned it into something terrible. Everybody has an own perspective on love. Love may not always be the same for you as it is for me. In today's world, love is often associated with hurt, betrayal, rage, grief, and other negative emotions. The meaning of love has evolved. Love has evolved into a lot of things. One day, I hope to feel the "old" kind of love. The love that is sincere, unconditional, and free from treachery. Not the kind of love where I constantly accept the hurt I'm "supposed" to be feeling, where I cry every night and wish I could crave what other people think I have, and not the kind of love where my hurt eventually evolves into fury. Pure Love.
Angela Dunne
Noriya! I’m so happy you liked the first class and felt like you were able to learn from other students in the class. I think it’s such an important observation that you made about how most college classrooms don’t encourage student interaction. I think this is intentional and is a medium of control. It is designed to keep students from seeing each other as experts, to control who is seen as the authority in the classroom, and ensure the maintenance of the classroom hierarchy. But of course you all have so much knowledge to bring, so much lived experience, and so many skills.
Your section on love is so poetic and filled with emotion. Have you written poetry? I am curious about this “old” kind of love that you speak of- where have you seen glimpses of it? How do you keep your faith that it exists? You mentioned how love is portrayed in movies in our last class and how many movies portray love from the realm of fantasy. I look forward to you developing your thoughts around and theorizing about the love that you want and need, “a love that is sincere, unconditional, and free from treachery”. What are some of the practices around this type of love? What could it look like?