'Tis the season to break hearts.

Recently, many of my friends have been breaking up with their significant others and I've had many conversations with people regarding love and I am by no means an expert myself. Today I was talking to a friend of mine and actaully ended up reading her part of my psychology book (Second Edition of Personality Classic Theories and Modern Research by Howard Friedman).

"Humanistic psychoanalyst Eric Fromm maintained that love is an art - not something that someone stumbles into, and not some nebulous epiphenomenon that has no real meaning. Love requires knowledge, effort and experiment. Fromm's concern was that in modern society, we are alienated from ourselves, from others and from nature... For Fromm, the most mature personality is one that transcends the ordinary demands of life and creates an active positive identity involving productive, respectful love of others."

I think it's true, modern society though it has it's perks, (can someone say iPod with me?) really doesen't stress personal relationships with others. Sure it's something we want when it's convienant but how many of you put your work ahead of all that? We're all really self-centered and will only engage in such relationships when it is convienant for us or when we get something out of it (ex - political marriages). We are alienated from others and it's a sad thing. I think love works best when you don't feel worthy of the other person and by that I mean you really have to think the other person is the best thing that ever happened to you and the other person has to feel the same way but you two can't know that the other one thinks that. Does that make any sense? You ahve to feel unworthy of the other's amazing presence in your life and the other person feels the same way but you just don't know it and vice versa. I could go on and on but, it's 2:30 am and I have a test tomorrow that I will continue to study for tomorrow morning. I should get to sleep.