I recently watched an otherwise unremarkable movie called Heart of a Dog. The one takeaway for me was the philosophy that the purpose of death is the release of love. If you have loved someone or something (a pet) intensively and for many years, when that person/pet dies, your love is "released" to be now applied to a new person or object.
An interesting thought.
Addendum: This comment from reader AaronS -
I read that other day of someone who said they had been suffering with "pre-grief." This is apparently an actual psychological term that means the dread that someone close to you is going to die (e.g., aging parents or someone who is in the last stages of cancer). I know that I seem to have a small cloud over my heart as my parents are now both 83 (and the most wonderful parents in every way).It was told to the person suffering from pre-grief that sometimes the actual event of someone dying affects them much less than all the pre-grief did.All of that to say that the release of the pre-grief (as it goes into--and then recovers--from grief) may very well be a "release of love," for now that person may have a much better state of mind that is able now to enjoy life more fully.
I read that other day of someone who said they had been suffering with "pre-grief." This is apparently an actual psychological term that means the dread that someone close to you is going to die (e.g., aging parents or someone who is in the last stages of cancer). I know that I seem to have a small cloud over my heart as my parents are now both 83 (and the most wonderful parents in every way).
ReplyDeleteIt was told to the person suffering from pre-grief that sometimes the actual event of someone dying affects them much less than all the pre-grief did.
All of that to say that the release of the pre-grief (as it goes into--and then recovers--from grief) may very well be a "release of love," for now that person may have a much better state of mind that is able now to enjoy life more fully.
An interesting view. If you don't mind, I've moved the comment up to the body of the post so that more readers will see it.
DeleteI definitely pre-grief my dog. Like every day doing everything to keep it happy and healthy, knowing it'll die before I do. Unless it kills me. Terrier. 50/50.
DeleteLove is unbounded (mostly). Though the strength/intensity of our love wanes as the social/emotional distance grows, we can love (many) others with great feeling and each/all at the same time. {One(?) example is family, friends, neighbors.}
ReplyDelete