Saturday, February 25, 2006
To love or not to love?
Topic of what 'love' is always a complicated one so reading through the exaggerated simplifications presented in the National Geographic article, I couldn't help but feel a bit of skepticism. Naturally, it also dealt with the concept of arranged vs love marriages.
Perhaps the greatest myth in the minds of non-Muslims and even some Muslims is that arranged marriage is a part of Islam. In essence, there is nothing wrong with it until they begin to turn in to forced marriages.
While I'm not advocating one side or the other, here are some excerpts from the article:
On a different yet similar note, National Geographic has started a new section in their magazines called Your Shot. It's a chance for amateur photographers to send in their pics every month and possibly be selected for publication on their website or better yet, the magazine.
The process is very simple and is done online with digital pictures.
Perhaps the greatest myth in the minds of non-Muslims and even some Muslims is that arranged marriage is a part of Islam. In essence, there is nothing wrong with it until they begin to turn in to forced marriages.
While I'm not advocating one side or the other, here are some excerpts from the article:
"To be madly in love could be exactly that -- madness. The term lovesick is surprisingly accurate for people experiencing romantic love, it turns out, have a chemical profile in their brains similar to that of people who suffer from obsessive compulsive disorder. Love blurs the line between mental health and psychopathology."Ouch! My heartfelt sympathies goes out to anyone in love right now.
"Science can explain how love affects the brain -- but not the mystery of how it affects the heart."That's one point for all the hopeless romantics.
" Anthropologists used to think that romance was a Western construct, a bourgeois by-product of the Middle Ages.......It was assumed that non-Westerners, with their broad familial and social obligations were spread too think for particular passions.
.
.
Scientists now believe that romance is panhuman, embedded in our brains since Pleistocene times. In a study of 166 cultures, anthropologists observed evidence of passionate love in 147 of them."
"Love lights up the caudate nucleus because it is home to a dense spread of receptors for a neurotransmitter called dopamine, also known as the love potion. In the right proportions, dopamine creates intense energy, exhilaration, focused attention, and motivation to win rewards. Love makes you bold, makes you bright, makes you run real risks, which you somtimes survive, and sometimes you don't."Good luck explaining that to your loved one!
On a different yet similar note, National Geographic has started a new section in their magazines called Your Shot. It's a chance for amateur photographers to send in their pics every month and possibly be selected for publication on their website or better yet, the magazine.
The process is very simple and is done online with digital pictures.
Faraz Ahmed 8:28 p.m.
6 Comments:
On a similar note: also read tariq Ramadan's excellent article on "TO Love"
http://www.tariqramadan.com/article.php3?id_article=510&lang=en
http://www.tariqramadan.com/article.php3?id_article=510&lang=en
lol
do they have to turn *everything* into a science?
do they have to turn *everything* into a science?
That's what I was thinking too anonymous. The last thing a person in love wants to hear is that all the feelings are caused by some 'enzyme imbalance' in his/her head :-(
Just for the fun of it, after I get married, I'll tell my wife that the only reason we are together is because too much dopamine was released in our brains!
Tariq Ramadan seems to be quite the philosopher....I should read some more of his stuff insha Allah.
Just for the fun of it, after I get married, I'll tell my wife that the only reason we are together is because too much dopamine was released in our brains!
Tariq Ramadan seems to be quite the philosopher....I should read some more of his stuff insha Allah.
Oh, by the way guyz, i'm not sure if there is a fellow National Geographic 'freak' out there but they are offering a year's worth of subscription for $20 only!
Limited time though.
Limited time though.
hmm..i don't know if i wud recommend that.
it might lead to major fights
:P
but, good luck with that nonetheless
:)
it might lead to major fights
:P
but, good luck with that nonetheless
:)
You do bring up a good point, anonymous.
Perhaps, i'll mention it after a few years :-) Now just to make sure I don't marry a black belt!
Perhaps, i'll mention it after a few years :-) Now just to make sure I don't marry a black belt!