“I think, therefore I am ” is perhaps the most famous quote attributed to philosopher Descartes. He used this maxim to explain how man separated himself from lower species and came to know himself as a sentient being. The mere act of thinking proves your existence and gives you a place in the universe. In short, it makes you aware and that awareness makes man special. Man has often sought ways to differentiate from the other animals that roam the planet. We can look to our opposable thumbs that allow us to fasten tools and industrialize. Though I guess monkeys can do the same minus the industrialization. When I look at rush hour commutes I feel they have the better bargain but I digress. We can cite our big brains i.e. our intelligence but other mammals also have big brains and in their own ways might be just as intelligent. Or at least I like to think so…I dig your songs humpback whales…there has to be a significant intelligence to communicate in such a fashion. So what is it that makes us special? I believe Descartes was correct but he merely scratched the surface. Our true awareness doesn’t occur when we think about our place in the world. Our true awareness occurs when we have value and meaning to our existence and that occurs when we love. Love is the true point of differentiation between us and other animals. Our ability need and search for love is the center of everything we do. We conceptualize our lives by measuring how people feel about us. A place filled with love from our past can always feel like home. We know our place by how people react to us. Even our online lives are a measure of our “likeability” the most base form of love. How many friends/likes on Facebook, how many “followers” on Twitter? At its most basic we are seeking these connections to measure how keenly we impress our existence upon our fellows. The deeper our bonds and the richer the connections we feel with those we love the happier we are. When you wake up knowing you are loved you literally feel more alive with the notion. Love gives us vitality when weak and hope when there is despair. Our moods, high & lows alike pivot most acutely around our perception of love. Thinking might let us know we are here but loving lets us know why.
