"Nevertheless - and this point is most important - however bitter their distress and however heavy their hearts, for all their emptiness, it can be truly said of these exiles that in the early period of the plague they could account themselves privileged. For at the precise moment when the residents of the town began to panic, their thoughts were wholly fixed on the person whom they longed to meet again. The egoism of love made them immune to the general distress and, if they thought of the plague, it was only in so far as it might threaten to make their separation eternal. Thus in the very heart of the epidemic they maintained a saving indifference, which one was tempted to take for composure. Their despair saved them from panic, thus their misfortune had a good side. For instance, if it happened that one of them was carried off by the disease, it was almost always without having had time to realize it. Snatched suddenly from his long, silent communion with a wrath of memory, he was plunged straightway into the densest silence of all. He'd had no time for anything."
- The Plague (Albert Camus)
Camus' discussion on the role of love at a time of plague is the reason why I, in a cozy little office in the Philosophy Department during an all important Philo orals, exclaimed, "I love... love!" ...... Brrrr! I still shudder at the memory. Thankfully, Sir Principe recognized the deep meaning behind such an extremely cutsie cheesy statement and politely asked me to expound.
I am probably one of love's biggest advocate. My belief in and experience of the tremendous power of love is the sole reason why I continue to live a life that is, by my standards, worth living. Love, even at the most hopeless of times (such as a plague), has such salvific qualities. When we live our lives, giving and receiving love, it takes on a deeper meaning. It saves us from our selfish need for survival taking over. In hoping for the salvation of our loved ones in the context of our plague-stricken lives, we are also saved from the despair that may come upon us during those moments when we are confronted by life's seeming meaninglessness. Love gives us meaning - a reason to live and persevere and hope and trust and continue our search for purpose.
Bottom line is, I love... love! I cannot say it enough. If I had the chance to redo that all important Philo final orals, I would probably exclaim "I love... love!" again with as much gusto and conviction as I did then... and now. And forever.
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