the study of love.

My seminar class just finished reading Plato's The Symposium. If you are unfamiliar with it, don't worry, it's somewhat obscure for a reason. It is a short, 60 page work that takes place at a drinking party in Ancient Greece. Those present are among the most famous and well-educated of the day - from doctors to philosophers, politicians to poets - including the ubiquitous Socrates. Their conversation centers around the task of eulogizing the god of Love, and each present takes his turn in giving a speech.

On a whole, I found several of the ideas expressed about love to be a bit off, and more than a few times I found myself lost in a tangle of esoteric philosophy, but the study did bring up several interesting themes. These include: the difference between lust and love, the idea of a soul mate, the role of love in our day-to-day lives, and the all-inclusive question... *cue sideways head-bobbing and '80s synthesizers* "What is love?"

It fits rather perfectly in this overall theme of God's love, and I'll hopefully delve into each of those topics a bit more very sooooon...