Replies to post #990 on Poet's Corner

[Poet]

Oh, what a bittersweet post.

It is as insidious in some minds as any drug. The downside, of course, is that it supplants concern for the well-being of others. And, that, when stripped to its bare essentials, means we are losing our capacity for love. Sex, we have, aplenty. Love seems to be increasingly rare.

When you spek of love here, do you mean romantic love or a more general sense of wonder? I think you may mean the second, no?

I'm asking this because I watched "Sunday Morning" like I do every week, and there were some wonderful stories about aging. A piece on centenarians (people who live to be 100 or more) really struck me. Generally, they shared several characteristics: they tended to be optimists, rather 'happy-go-lucky', and they had lifelong interests which they were deeply involved in. Those interests, the sense of wonder about the world and curiosity, are so important. I can see this as I age as well. They're what get people out of bed in the morning. Whether it's writing poetry, playing bridge, teaching, the sense that the you have much to learn from the world is, to me, a very special kind of love.