The Element of Love
There is something to do, therefore. And what must be done in order to be in the debt of love to each other? When a fisherman has caught a fish in his net and wishes to keep it alive, what must he do?He must immediately put it in water; otherwise it becomes exhausted and dies after a time. And why must he put it in water? Because water is the fish's element, and everything which shall be kept alive must be kept in its element.
But love's element is infinitude, inexhaustibility, immeasurability. If you will to keep your love, then, by the help of the debt's infinitude, imprisoned in freedom and life, you must take care that it continually remains in its element; otherwise, it droops and dies -not after a time, for it dies at once-which itself is a sign of its perfection, that it can live only in infinitude.
Soren Kierkegaard
Works of Love
pp. 175-176
The way Kierkegaard describes the infinitude of love stands out to me. Human love always seems to set conditions like: "As long as you stay out of my way, I love you," And, "Just don't say anything stupid and I will care about you."
The love God demands of us is blind in the sense that it is to our neighbor. As long as a person remains our neighbor, we are required to love that person.
This seems so different in comparison to the way I generally love people.
Labels: Kierkegaardia, Love and Loving
2 Comments:
I have never read Kierkegaard but I did read Jesus. I find the strength of the love taught in the gospels is very deep and makes us personally responsible for that action - to love and to be loved. The whole love my enemies, love my neighbor, and love unconditionally are all elements of those teachings - I guess in the end we find out - God is love.
The first time I read this passage it sounded a lot like something Jesus would say. Either by faith or by being compelled at the end we will find out God is love.
Thanks for stopping by, SocietyVS.
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