PATRICIA BRUNO
APHORISMS ON LOVE, DEATH & FREEDOM. How to better understand these concepts.
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Table of Contents
Chapter I
What is Love?…………………….1 Chapter II
Death…………………….…………4 Chapter III
Freedom……………….………..…6 Acknowledgements…………….11
Chapter I
What is Love? Love is the great affection someone feels towards something or someone else. It can be friendship, sexual affection, spiritual connection, benevolence, sympathy or maybe material love, which would be represented by ambition. It is the greatest and most powerful feeling any human can feel, since it is present everyday in our lives and it leads us to do many actions. Life has no meaning if we don't love or don't search for love, because to have love is, theorically, to be happy. Chapter I
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Greek Love The greek have three forms of defining love. One of them is Agape, that represents the benevolent love, in which the desire is to love the other person, without any egotism. Agape can be translated as Charity, and it is exemplified as the actions of Jesus: love everybody, including your enemy. It's the love that the world lacks, the love that gives but doesn't expect to receive. The other form of defining love is Eros. In the picture is The Eros Farnese, a Pompeiian marble thought to be a copy of the colossal Eros of Thespiae, by Praxiteles. Chapter I
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Eros is the
is‌
It is the asnwer to
the question
is the happiest feeling a person can feel. Chapter I
passionate, possessive and platonic love. It loves what it doesn't have, as if a Cupid shoot his arrows at someone and make us fall in love with them.
The other form of love is Philia. Philia is close to what we understand as friendship. It is to love what we already have, what brings us joy and pleasure. It could be considered the perfect love.
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Chapter 2
Death The
concept of immortality, life after death, is used to fill the void between God and Death. We don't know what is there after we die, but we try to fill this void by creating possibilities and explanations. Existence is abstract. This concept haunts us all as vulnerable beings, making us afraid of our unavoidable destiny.
If
love is the meaning of life, the goal and the path at the same time, then death is what ends it all. If we lived giving and receiving love then we lived a happy life, and death won't be a problem, we will be satisfied and fullfiled when we die. Death is not supposed to be sad or to be avoided, but accepted. Death is a common end for every living creature on the planet, and we shouldn't fear it, but be prepared to accept it. Chapter II
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Depictions of Death The Angel of
Death passes by a household in this painting by Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, 17941872.
This 17th-
century still-life painting by Philippe de Champaigne depicts a flower, a skull and an hourglass . These symbols represented Life, Death and Time. Chapter II
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Chapter 3
Freedom In a general way, the word
"freedom" means the condition of an individual that doesn't submit himself to the dominance of others, having full power over himself and his actions. The desire of freedom is a deeply rooted feeling in human beings. Situations like the choice of a profession, marriage and political or religious compromise make individuals confront themselves and require a responsible decison about their future. The capacity of thinking and valuing
the world that surrounds us in an inteligent way is what gives human beings the sense of freedom, that is understood as the full expression of human will.
Chapter III
Click here to watch a video about The Philosophy of Liberty
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Being Free.
Human beings tend to exercise freedom in all external actions. When they are restricted, the individual's development is frustrated and their rights and dignity despised. However, despite all the external (and to some extent also internal) pressure, people are often able to maintain freedom of choice about their actions (thoughts, wishes, love, hate, morality, etc), thus preserving their integrity and dignity, as what happens to people submited to situations of extreme deprivation of liberties. Chapter III
Freedom, in philosophy, designs the absence of submission and determination, qualifying the dependance of human beings. In a positive way, freedom is the autonomy and spontaneity of a rational being. It qualifies and constitutes the condition of voluntary human behaviours. Wanting to be free becomes the strenghth and the tool for freeing the individual. Depicted is Liberty Leading the People, a painting by Eugène Delacroix commemorating the July Revolution of 1830 in France.
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Acknowledgements
My parents and friends, who have supported me through this journey. Thank you!
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