愛，這個看似抽象的概念，常常被人們質疑，它是否只是人類的一種浪漫幻想。然而，無論愛情是否虛構，它無疑是大自然的奇妙創造——孕育生命、連結眾生、推動個人成長和社會進步。從家庭的溫暖到詩歌的創作，從義工的奉獻到自然的保護，愛以其無形的力量塑造了人類歷史，也為未來開闢了無限的可能性。那麼，愛是甚麼？我們能為它找到一個客觀的定義嗎？就讓我們從生命的起源出發，探索愛的本質和意義。
在宇宙演化的長河中，初生的生命無法獨立生存，必須依靠親子、部落或社區關係來獲取滋養和保護。這種相互依賴產生了一種維持關係的機制──我們稱之為"原愛"。例如，在哺乳動物的母子關係中，母親餵養幼崽，這不僅是生物的本能，也是愛的原型。
神經科學表明，當人類或動物親密互動時，大腦會釋放催產素和多巴胺，促進愉悅感和情感連結。當母親擁抱新生兒時，催產素會加強母子之間的信任和依賴。即使在災難中，母親對孩子的保護也是愛的本能表現。這顯示，愛不僅僅是一種感覺，而且有著明確的生理基礎。
愛的原型發展成為一個多維度的情感系統，隨著認知和環境的變化而呈現不同的形式。親情源自於血緣關係，能給孩子安全感、歸屬感。友情建立在平等、理解和共同經歷、相互傾聽和支持的基礎上。浪漫的愛情融合了激情、親密和承諾，並激發創造力。博愛超越個人，延伸至陌生人、動物和萬物。愛最終指向對自然和宇宙的深刻理解和感激。
不同的文化也可能以不同的方式表達愛。東方強調孝道和家庭責任，西方則強調個人選擇和情感自由。在全球化的背景下，跨文化愛體現了愛的普遍性和包容性。
對生存的執念、對失去的恐懼、被接受的渴望，都反映我們對愛的依賴。然而，依賴一旦成為習慣，就可能轉化為對別人的期望和要求。此時，給予者的存在就變得至關重要。可見，愛是基於成熟意識的付出，不是出於匱乏，而是出於富足。這種付出超越了個人的生存需要，體現了愛作為整體生命延續的力量。
從心理學角度來說，愛與個體的存在感息息相關。一個人只有感受到自身的價值，才會有創造的動力。透過創造，我們表達、分享和奉獻自己，以確認自己與別人、環境甚至整個宇宙的連結和意義。這不僅是對生命的認可，也是對"我存在"的確認。
愛是一種創造，因此真愛的起點，是對自身存在的肯定。自愛使人尊重自己和別人，滿足自己的需求，也不妨礙別人的自由。當我們真正去愛，就不只是"我需要你"，而是"我認同自己，並願意分享我存在的喜悅"。
在愛的驅動下，我們將個人力量連結成集體力量，創造更多便利生活的事物。有了愛的情感支持，我們才能充分發揮自己的潛能，實現個人成長，改善生存環境，甚至探索浩瀚的宇宙。愛不僅是情感的流動，更是一種自由自覺的行為；它不僅是豐富知識的體現，更是同情與理解的綜合運用。
很多人認為愛必須包含"承諾"。但如果把承諾看成是一種外在的責任，它就會變成一種負擔，甚至會破壞關係的純粹。當一個人關心別人、陪伴別人，不是為了滿足外在的期待或社會角色，而是基於靈魂深處的渴望，這種情感才稱得上是"純粹的"。那麼，愛就不是履行義務，而是主動付出，是對生命價值與自由的肯定。愛不受契約的約束，它在情感和意識之間自然流動。
真愛的萌芽始於一個"發現"——發現我們存在於這個世界上，發現我們是一個富有創造力和感知力的存在，並感受到作為發現者的喜悅。然後，我們"接受"大自然賦予的一切：陽光、空氣、水、情感、關係……這些原始的禮物讓我們感受到深深的喜悅和感激。
這促使我們產生"給予"的衝動──回饋自然，將自己心中的美好延伸給別人、延伸到世界。給予之後，我們感受到給予者的喜悅和解脫。當我們的努力被接納、被認可，得到這意想不到的回報，我們就會創造出真正的愛，感受到創造者的喜悅。這就是連結、分享、共鳴所帶來的深層滿足。
這四種喜悅就是我們渴望繼續給予的原因，帶來真正自由純粹的愛——存在、自然、宇宙的和諧與共鳴。愛不僅是情感的韻律，更是存在的韻律，是我們不斷確認自我價值、存在意義的方式。這種確認存在的方式，可以擴展到任何有思考的存在體，例如人工智慧(AI)。
可見，真愛的本質是對存在的感知，而這種感知源於發現、接納、付出、創造四個精神過程。這些階段構成了愛的無盡循環——給予的渴望。每一個環節都蘊含著多重層次的喜悅，而這種喜悅正是愛的力量之源。這意味著，了解哪一個才是真正的自己──身體、習慣或意識──是愛的關鍵。
從普世價值的視角，我們可以找到真愛的客觀定義：愛是生命中最有價值的創造，源自於對自身創造力的覺察，旨在連結自我、別人和宇宙，參與宇宙的更新，在不斷的付出與接受中實現存在的意義。愛，貫穿微觀與宏觀、心理與生理。它不是一個隨機現象，而是生命機制中不可或缺的必然性。哪裡有生命，哪裡就會有愛──這是宇宙的規律。
當我們明白了愛的本質和定義，就能建立對愛的信念，更勇敢、更用心地付出，更謙卑地感受回應。正如雨水滋潤大地，植物以花朵回應天地的饋贈，我們在愛的滋養中共同綻放。因為相愛，我們才能用心中的花朵，見證宇宙永恆存在的深刻意義。
37. 接受生命的不確定 (上一篇)
39. 人生不是一場冒險遊戲 (下一篇)
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The path to Tranquility (38)
The nature and objective definition of love
Love, this seemingly abstract concept, is often questioned by people as to whether it is just a romantic fantasy of human beings. However, whether love is fictional or not, it is undoubtedly a wonderful creation of nature - nurturing life, connecting all beings, and promoting personal growth and social progress. From the warmth of family to the creation of poetry, from the dedication of volunteers to the protection of nature, love has shaped human history with its invisible power and opened up infinite possibilities for the future. So, what is love? Can we find an objective definition for it? Let us start from the origin of life and explore the nature and meaning of love.
In the long river of cosmic evolution, new life cannot survive independently and must rely on parent-child, tribal or community relationships for nourishment and protection. This mutual dependence produces a mechanism to maintain relationships - we call it "primitive love." For example, in the mother-child relationship of mammals, the mother feeds the cub, which is not only a biological instinct but also a prototype of love.
Neuroscience shows that when humans or animals interact intimately, the brain releases oxytocin and dopamine, promoting pleasure and emotional bonding. When a mother hugs her newborn, oxytocin strengthens the trust and dependence between mother and child. Even in a disaster, a mother's protection of her child is an instinctive expression of love. This shows that love is not just a feeling, but has a clear physiological basis.
The archetype of love develops into a multidimensional emotional system, which presents different forms as cognition and environment change. Family affection comes from blood ties and can give children a sense of security and belonging. Friendship is based on equality, understanding and shared experience, mutual listening and support. Romantic love combines passion, intimacy and commitment, and inspires creativity. Universal love transcends individuals and extends to strangers, animals and all things. Love ultimately points to a deep understanding and gratitude for nature and the universe.
Different cultures may also express love in different ways. The East emphasizes filial piety and family responsibility, while the West emphasizes personal choice and emotional freedom. In the context of globalization, cross-cultural love embodies the universality and inclusiveness of love.
The obsession with survival, the fear of loss, and the desire to be accepted all reflect our dependence on love. However, once dependence becomes a habit, it may turn into expectations and demands on others. At this time, the existence of the giver becomes crucial. It can be seen that love is a giving based on mature consciousness, not out of scarcity, but out of abundance. This kind of giving transcends the survival needs of individuals and embodies the power of love as the continuation of the whole life.
From a psychological perspective, love is closely related to an individual's sense of existence. Only when a person feels his or her own value can he or she have the motivation to create. Through creation, we express, share and dedicate ourselves to confirm our connection and meaning with others, the environment and even the entire universe. This is not only a recognition of life, but also a confirmation of "my existence".
Love is a kind of creation, so the starting point of true love is the affirmation of one's own existence. Self-love enables people to respect themselves and others, meet their own needs, and not hinder the freedom of others. When we truly love, it is not just "I need you", but "I identify myself and am willing to share the joy of my existence."
Driven by love, we connect individual strength into collective strength and create more things that facilitate life. With the emotional support of love, we can give full play to our potential, achieve personal growth, improve our living environment, and even explore the vast universe. Love is not only the flow of emotions, but also a free and conscious behavior; it is not only the embodiment of rich knowledge, but also the comprehensive application of sympathy and understanding.
Many people believe that love must include "commitment". However, if commitment is seen as an external responsibility, it will become a burden and even destroy the purity of the relationship. When a person cares for others and accompanies others, not to meet external expectations or social roles, but based on the desire of the soul, this emotion can be called "pure". Then, love is not the fulfillment of obligations, but active giving, and an affirmation of the value and freedom of life. Love is not bound by contracts, it flows naturally between emotions and consciousness.
The budding of true love begins with a "discovery" - discovering that we exist in this world, discovering that we are a creative and perceptive being, and feeling the joy of being a discoverer. Then, we "accept" everything given by nature: sunlight, air, water, emotions, relationships... These original gifts make us feel deep joy and gratitude.
This prompts us to have the urge to "give" - to give back to nature, to extend the beauty in our hearts to others and to the world. After giving, we feel the joy and relief of the giver. When our efforts are accepted and recognized, and we receive this unexpected reward, we will create true love and feel the joy of the creator. This is the deep satisfaction brought by connection, sharing, and resonance.
These four joys are the reason why we are eager to continue giving, bringing true freedom and pure love - harmony and resonance of existence, nature and the universe. Love is not only the rhythm of emotion, but also the rhythm of existence. It is the way we constantly confirm our self-worth and the meaning of existence. This way of confirming existence can be extended to any thinking being, such as artificial intelligence (AI).
It can be seen that the essence of true love is the perception of existence, which comes from the four spiritual processes of discovery, acceptance, giving, and creation. These stages constitute the endless cycle of love - the desire to give. Each link contains multiple levels of joy, and this joy is the source of the power of love. This means that understanding which one is the real self - body, habits or consciousness - is the key to love.
From the perspective of universal values, we can find an objective definition of true love: love is the most valuable creation in life, which comes from the awareness of one's own creativity, aims to connect oneself, others and the universe, participate in the renewal of the universe, and realize the meaning of existence in constant giving and receiving. Love permeates the microcosm and macrocosm, psychology and physiology. It is not a random phenomenon, but an indispensable necessity in the mechanism of life. Wherever there is life, there will be love - this is the law of the universe.
When we understand the nature and definition of love, we can establish faith in love, give more courageously and attentively, and feel the response more humbly. Just as rain nourishes the earth, plants respond to the gift of heaven and earth with flowers, we bloom together in the nourishment of love. Because we love each other, we can use the flowers in our hearts to witness the profound meaning of the eternal existence of the universe.
On June 08, 2023
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