November 6, 2011
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Plato
Or more accurately Platonic and it’s relevence to Love is what i’ve been thinking about recently. Of all the various forms one can write or create a ‘love story’ the platonic version is by far the most moving and touching.
Thats not to say I dislike the idea of sex being involved in love or a love story, it of course has it’s own merits and can in certain ways deepen the connection between two people.
But the stories that deal with the love between two people who are in no way connected by family or sex are often so much more distictive and explore a deeply moving almost unattainable love often born out of respect or even duty sometimes. Like the story in ‘True Grit’ where the little girl admires and cares for the old gunslinger as much as he does for her, infact by the end they both ‘love’ each other but not in a way that needs anything sexual or physical.
A more grey area example would be ‘Leon the Professional’ where there is the slightly more distressing, father daughter kind of relationship with under tones of desire that is never acted upon.
Too often it seems that Love and loving someone is all mixed up with sex and sexual desire but I seems more and more to me that Love is far more complex and layered than that. To love someone is to attempt to reach an otherwise inexpressible desire to share your experiance, your perception and to get a chance to experiance someone elses.
Of course sex and attraction play a part, but they are not perhaps the sole purpose. The sense that you want to share the same space and time of the person you love is entirely apart from wanting to jump into bed with them.
The love developed within a family is more akin to deep and accepting trust and thats I suppose whats most alluring about stories about Platonic relationships, the people often despite what may be expected simply love each other for who they are and for how the world looks through their shared experiance, not for anything so potentially fleeting as desire or lust.
The usual story of the hero and heroine of a story eventually falling for each other and then sleeping together often has no where near the same impact or lasting romance in the mind than the mutual love and trust depicted in sexless stories. It would be nice if that more lasting and heartfelt love was more common in mainstream films and the like as I think it would be a better message.
Or like in the action film ‘The Island’ where for the first half of the film the characters are acting as if they had no knkowledge of sex but rather are more child like in the way they love, untill eventually they discover the further ‘options’.
Anyway I’m hoping to get somekind of story written on this very subject that i’ve been thinking about for a while, nothing exceptional i’m sure since there likely will be only one concept that i’m exploring, but just thought i’d see if I could explain my thinking before I did the story version
What are your thoughts on Love, Sex and the interaction of the two?
And what Love stories that didn’t involve sex did you find the most moving/memorable?
Comments (13)
<3<3
I like The Island!! <3
I love love stories that don’t have to do with romantic love/sex. For this reason I often enjoy buddy movies (like Lethal Weapon) and shows featuring a deep same sex friendship (like Psych). I love movies like Up and The Kings Speech, I think Beaches is also a great movie although a bit too emotional for me, it shows a deep friendship between women that I don’t see portrayed as often as between men. There are so many different kinds of love beside romantic love that would make wonderful stories.
You know what’s funny? the term “platonic love” is used to refer a non sexual kind of love but the concept of Plato was much more complex, is about the contemplation of beauty, the whole meaning of a beautiful idea and how this idea becomes the drive, the impulse for a person. It is really a nice topic to develope in a story, I’d love to see a new Alighieri
Jesus and Marie Magdalene is one, but it is not a proven fact.. Interacting on the Internet is a form of love without sex so to speak…
I forgot Romeo and Juliet; they never had the time to be intimate, i think they died before….
While You Were Sleeping is still my most favorite movie so far. NO kissing, NO sex in the movie… just few hugging involved.
Flipper (1996) – two kids become friends because of a dolphin and even though they really like each other, they don’t kiss, if I remember correctly.
I agree very much, though I’m afraid I don’t have a good example right now.
There is a lot of platonic love going on between people in prison and people outside of prison who get together.
I know a Philippino guy who fell in love with a pen pal. The woman got married to him and he was deported back to the Philippines with his wife going with him. What a happy ending….
@jennylovve - <3
@fabolousclown - I’ve watched the Island at least four or five times now
And I enjoy it everytime.
@lucylwrites - Oh yea UP is a good one, infact i’ve not seen quite a few of the ones you’ve listed Thanks
@xXxlovelylollipop - Yea I figured there was more to it, but I’ve not really looked into it further than liking the concept
It does sound quite facinating thank you for the extra info
@locomotiv - Thats true, the net and long distance online relationships are very similar.
And yea Romeo and Juliet is kind of one…but they would have if they could have lol
As for Jesus…well he had a really complicated life anyways
@RestlessButterfly - Oh yea I love that movie! such a nice innocent story
@bmojsilo - Dolphin love….could have been far creepier
But on a more serious note, yes I suppose the idea is more like a children love.
@lanney - No worries
thanks for reading!
@BFB1131 - yup
@BFB1131 - Ewan McGregor said “I’m from Scotland” used his Scottish accent. So sexay!