Hatred obscures all distinctions.
C. S. LewisRead
The body is imaginary, and we bow to the tyranny of a phantom. Love is a privilege perception, the most total and lucid not only of the unreality of the world but of our own unreality: not only do we traverse a realm of shadows; but ourselves are shadows.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that love reveals the illusory nature of existence and ourselves, highlighting the shadows we inhabit.
Adolfo Bioy Casares reflects on the idea that our physical forms and the world around us are merely illusions, and it is through love that we gain insight into this unreality. Love, being described as a privileged perception, allows us to understand not only the ephemeral nature of the world but also the impermanent quality of our own identities. In this sense, both love and reality are connections to a deeper understanding of existence as we navigate through shadows, indicating that much of what we perceive is an illusion.
Themes
LoveIllusionRealityExistenceSelf
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the nature of reality, one might cite this quote to emphasize the importance of love in understanding our existence.
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