This post is meant as a companion to the delightful “Quote of the Day” thread, which was started by @MissAdventurous. That thread has become a fixture of the CC forum. With nearly 13K views (at the time writing), it’s safe to say that many people have, at the very least, checked it out. A great deal of those persons have added to its contents, and a few have sought to discuss the quotations within—sometimes at the risk of derailing the thread.
It's been suggested several times that another post be made, where people can talk about quotes that have resonated with them—to share personal stories, or to debate the merits of a quote—without straying from the purpose of Quote of the Day. I feel that this is an altogether good idea: by talking about these things we share aspects of who we are, what we hold dear, and so on.
I'll begin with the following quote:
"If you love life, life will love you back."
What, exactly, is meant by "life"?
Are we talking about the barrage of sensory stimuli that we experience on a daily basis? Suffering is only possible via sentience. And then you die. Doesn’t seem loving.
Are we talking about biological life? I’m almost positive that loving life, in this sense, would not convince a pack of starving wolves to refrain from eating a person. Warm feelings wouldn’t fill their bellies.
Are we talking about human life? As far as I know, love cannot induce the opposites of Alzheimer’s, unexpected vehicular collisions, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and subsequent decapitation by members of a cartel.
Are we talking about earth? Loving life in this instance will not prevent the planet from rejecting us for our hubris. It can’t stop a volcano from erupting. Nor will it block an asteroid or solar flare. The eventual collision of the Andromeda galaxy into the Milky Way? The death of our sun? Nice feelings will not impede those occurrences or reverse them.