Friday, November 04, 2011

Clearing it Up



Had a missive from someone I've known for 30 years, asking me a very good question that has never occurred to me before.



Why, he wanted to know did I INSIST on signing correspondence with the word "LOVE", even to male friends ? Didn't I suspect it "bothered" some people???



My answer was---and IS---that it just never rocked my boat one way or the other.



The quality of my Life has always been about giving. And, sometimes, many of us have little to give but our blind affection. That IS the best kind of affectiion, I mean. Blind, non-importuning. One-way.



C.S. Lewis separated "LOVES" into four categories. Agape, the highest Spiritual emotion. Eros, the physical / romantic and conjugal. Philos, the intellectualy appreciation (I Love a Gershwin Tune, How About You ?) And, Storge, affection, magnetism, personal acceptance and agreeable amiability.



I suppose some childhood lonliness and eagerness for close friendship and a sense of belonging is at the root of my predilection towar "Love" or "Luv" as a complimentary close in letters. It is no more than a form of giving of self in my realm.



If it maked someone uncomfortable, that's not "on me".



Once upon a time, old Buck Duke of American Tobacco Co., spit largely on a conference table in front of some ad men from New York.



"You may not like it, but you;ll NEVER forget it", He said. "Now git me something such as that to put on raddy-Oh !"



Maybe that's my very sincere, subliminal ploy.