[MD] Love Life Before Logic

[ian glendinning]

This little passage from Dostoevsky's "Karamazov Brothers" tickled me,
so I thought I might share it.

(The scene : Two of the bothers, Ivan the atheist and Alyosha the
novice monk, getting to know each other aged mid / late 20's and
discussing their views on the eternal questions ... meaning of life,
God, first-cause, immortality, national traits, etc ...)

"I love the tiny, sticky spring leaves, the blue sky, so there it is !
There's no sense in it, no logic, it's instinct, it's a gut feeling;
one loves one's first youthful instances ... Do you understand
anything of my nonesense, Alyosha, or not ?" Ivan laughed suddenly.

"Only too well Ivan," exclaimed Alyosha, "a longing to love
instinctively from the depth of one's being -  you put that so
beautifully, and I'm so happy you have such an urge to live. I think
that everyone should, above all else on this earth, love life"

"Love life rather than the meaning of it ?"

"Certainly, it must come before logic, as you said, it must certainly
come before logic, for only then can one come to understand the
meaning."

Regards
Ian