Thanks for sharing the complex shark story. Passing through the fern emotions to learn love is a particularly interesting idea. I'd like to add to this line of thought by sharing a story we come around to each Easter in the Christian faith. It's two exchanges between Jesus and the disciple Peter, with remorse being the transforming emotion. These conversations made no sense to me until I learned the incidents were recorded in Greek, using different Greek words for love. There are seven:
Eros: romantic, passionate love. ... (the parents of Nanaue; other women for him)
Philia: intimate, authentic friendship. ... (Philadelphia - city of friends)
Erotoropia or ludus: playful, flirtatious love. ...
Storge: unconditional, familial love. ... (mother for shark son)
Philautia: compassionate self-love. ...
Pragma: committed, companionate love. ... (maybe the king)
Agápe: empathetic, universal love
In the Easter story's first sequence (John 18:13–27 ) Jesus before the crucifixion tells Peter he will betray him three times before the cock crows. Later, at the moment Peter states his third denial the cock crows, and Peter remembers. "And he went outside and wept bitterly." After the resurrection Jesus asks Peter several times (John 21:15–17) : "Do you love me?" (Agápe)
Peter responds "I love you." (Philia)
Jesus responds each time "Feed my sheep."
The triad of denials leads to Peter's remorse. The triad of "I love you" responses leads to the teaching of how you will love Agápe, and it is through tending others.
If I carry these teachings back to the Shark Man, he feels remorse but his animal nature (his sub-conscious I think you would say) betrays him. He feeds on people, rather than feeding them. I think love is to serve the planet and her creatures in all you do. And the path to that love begins with remorse at what we have done and continue to do.
We long for others to experience remorse and straighten up and fly right. Not waiting, however, we can notice our love grows each day as we betray, recognize the betrayal, and allow our remorse to transform us into a lover of life.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explore the idea of remorse as transformer.
Lola, this is a fascinating correlation between the Christian gospels and the path of emotional maturity outlined by the ferns in pua'aehuehu. The more I delve into the mythic, the more in awe I am of how these patterns were imprinted in human cultures around the world by.....? I like to say the plants, but we really don't know! Remorse, for me, is a sign of someone who can be saved or redeemed, according to Christian concept. In a global context you have me thinking about what's the best way to exist in the longing for remorse that doesn't seem to be coming soon enough for humanity. As we go, we take so many other species with us. I often find myself feeling remorse just for being a human. Your comment leaves me with questions I can't quite even put into words yet. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing the complex shark story. Passing through the fern emotions to learn love is a particularly interesting idea. I'd like to add to this line of thought by sharing a story we come around to each Easter in the Christian faith. It's two exchanges between Jesus and the disciple Peter, with remorse being the transforming emotion. These conversations made no sense to me until I learned the incidents were recorded in Greek, using different Greek words for love. There are seven:
Eros: romantic, passionate love. ... (the parents of Nanaue; other women for him)
Philia: intimate, authentic friendship. ... (Philadelphia - city of friends)
Erotoropia or ludus: playful, flirtatious love. ...
Storge: unconditional, familial love. ... (mother for shark son)
Philautia: compassionate self-love. ...
Pragma: committed, companionate love. ... (maybe the king)
Agápe: empathetic, universal love
In the Easter story's first sequence (John 18:13–27 ) Jesus before the crucifixion tells Peter he will betray him three times before the cock crows. Later, at the moment Peter states his third denial the cock crows, and Peter remembers. "And he went outside and wept bitterly." After the resurrection Jesus asks Peter several times (John 21:15–17) : "Do you love me?" (Agápe)
Peter responds "I love you." (Philia)
Jesus responds each time "Feed my sheep."
The triad of denials leads to Peter's remorse. The triad of "I love you" responses leads to the teaching of how you will love Agápe, and it is through tending others.
If I carry these teachings back to the Shark Man, he feels remorse but his animal nature (his sub-conscious I think you would say) betrays him. He feeds on people, rather than feeding them. I think love is to serve the planet and her creatures in all you do. And the path to that love begins with remorse at what we have done and continue to do.
We long for others to experience remorse and straighten up and fly right. Not waiting, however, we can notice our love grows each day as we betray, recognize the betrayal, and allow our remorse to transform us into a lover of life.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to explore the idea of remorse as transformer.
Lola, this is a fascinating correlation between the Christian gospels and the path of emotional maturity outlined by the ferns in pua'aehuehu. The more I delve into the mythic, the more in awe I am of how these patterns were imprinted in human cultures around the world by.....? I like to say the plants, but we really don't know! Remorse, for me, is a sign of someone who can be saved or redeemed, according to Christian concept. In a global context you have me thinking about what's the best way to exist in the longing for remorse that doesn't seem to be coming soon enough for humanity. As we go, we take so many other species with us. I often find myself feeling remorse just for being a human. Your comment leaves me with questions I can't quite even put into words yet. Thank you.