It says that falling in Love is a chemical process, driven by the hormones in the human brain.
Hormones are perhaps the most powerful catalytic system that there is in the Biological world. Their grip on “senses” is so powerful that it could make one crazy to the point of being suicidal.
In his brilliant TED talk in 2002 called Dangerous Memes, neuroscientist and philosopher Daniel Dennett illustrates this point by giving a real-life example where a parasite infects an Ant’s brain with its hormones and to highjack it. The parasite needs a cattle’s stomach as a host to grow and multiply. And thus, this virus, this parasite using its hormones, drives the Ant suicidal where the ant starts climbing the blade of grass and reaches its top and stay there such that it can be easily eaten by the cattle. Dan goes on to use his atheist whip against religious fanatics by using this analogy, but I suppose the point is pretty much applicable to ‘love hormones’ for my discussion here. More on Dan at TED is here.
Hormones can compel one to ‘fall in love’ with all its vigor and ferocity, making one believe that that is the only purpose of life (at that point in time, at least). The urge, the need, the reason that this force makes one behave in this manner could be various: need to multiply, to find acceptance, looking for validation, seeking fulfillment, as well as jealously, revenge, recognition, or any combination therein.
And thus, we fall for it.
For all the good things in life that there is, it is a wonderful experience – Falling in love: invigorating, engulfing, enriching, vitalizing, life giving, fulfilling, enlightening.
And sometimes, stupid as well.
Some of these ‘falls’ are long lasting, even permanent. But many are just a blip in those individuals’ lives.
There are times where we never thought that we would fall for a given person, and then there are times when in spite of our feeling fully convinced about you ‘love’ with the person, it falls out.
Sometimes, it is an instant ‘fall’ and at other times, it is a slow fall that takes its own time to come about.
And then again, what would be the ‘longevity’ of it is almost always unpredictable.
However, there was something, somebody, who knew everything all along.
The Cupid.
The cupid knows what the real deal is in all falls.
The cupid is inside of you, somewhat unaffected by the clouding by the hormones, seeing everything and knowing everything.
The cupid knows the instant when you come across someone whether you love the person or not.
And that is mostly definitive.
This is how we ‘finally’ fall for the friend after ten years of being just friends. And this is how we fall our even after ten years of passionate and mutual nuptial plumage. The cupid knew all along that he was the one, and she was not the one, in both of these cases. For the fall was hormonal.
The cupid that is Consciousness.
