A Little Bit of Personal Social Science
On my Social Science journey this week, I’ve learned a tiny bit about what constitutes meaning in life. (There are many possible answers to this question.) It’s a theory called the “Discovery Loop of Romantic Love.”
It goes something like this.
- Fall in love
- Take risk
- Fail
- Suffer
- Learn
It is possible to exit the loop when you have not failed. When you succeed you find the meaning of love (and a lot of other things.) Let’s step through this one experience at a time.
| Person | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wife #1 | Risk | Fail | Suffer | Learn | Daughter #1 Daughter #2 |
| Wife #2 | Risk | Fail | Suffer | Learn | Daughter #3 |
| LOML | Risk | Success | Suffer | Learn | The Cat |
A couple of things worth noting. I did more learning than suffering, I hope that is true for those persons that were along on the ride with me. If you are fortunate to exit the loop successfully, there is still suffering — just a lot less. There is always learning. The longer I live, the more wonderful the meaning is. “The Cat” is a stand-in. No one (not even The Cat) could reach the level of, let alone replace, the meaning that the LOML and I have been fortunate to acquire. In case there is any confusion — that would be our children.
Credit where credit is due. I learned this from reading “The Meaning of Your Life,” by Albert C. Brooks.
I hope you find them useful, or perhaps even enjoy them.