On Love
“Love, but be careful what you love”
“So long as we desire temporal things
We are constantly under this threat
And our fear of losing always
Corresponds to our desire to have!
Temporal goods originate and perish
Independently of man who is
Tied to them by desire-
Constantly bound by craving and
Fear to have a future full of uncertainties!
We strip each present moment of its calm!
Its intrinsic import
Which we are unable to enjoy
And so the future destroys the present!
….
The present is not determined by the future as such
But by certain events which we hope for ir
Fear from future
And which we accordingly crave and pursue
Or shun and avoid!
Happiness consists in possession
In having and holding our good and
Even more in being sure of not losing it
Sorrow consists in having lost our good and
Enduring its loss
However for Augustine, happiness of having
Is not contrasted by the Sorrow (of losing)
But by fear of losing
The trouble with human happiness is -It is constantly
Beset by fear
It is not the lack of possessing - but a
Safety of possession that is at stake
My Notes:
Do not hold on to temporal goods
Power, Position, Prosperity, People
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