نشریه کتاب نقد
پیاپی 43 (تابستان 1386)

Love is the origin of “existence” and the main reason for being of all particles in the universe. Both man and universe are manifested though “sensory movement” which is both extant and gives rise to existence. Heart is the site of truth and the divine love and humans, by nature, have been oriented to love God. God is the only true loved one. “Sensory movement” consists of supplementary, creative, as well as perfection-seeking components. Therefore, every human being should find love for beauty and perfection in their most innate being in the course of their mystic evolution and philosophical approach so as to turn the substantial course of their perfection into a substantial movement. Love has many characteristics: it cannot be defined or interpreted, is intuitive, is eternal and permanent and enjoys various manifestations.Love is divided into various types according to levels of human existence: sensory, imaginary, and rational. It is also divided as natural, corporeal, spiritual, rational and divine categories according to various aspects of human existence. On the other hand, it is also divided into true, metaphorical, and false love according to human beings’ relation to love. This paper attends to such loves and considers love to be more sacred as to be reduced to commonplace forms of love which are limited to sexual affairs. The true love is love of God while metaphorical love is humans’ love for a perfect man, prayers, Quran, and so on. Therefore, the true ground for love is the purified human soul and it can have such effects as creating movement and power, being a source of inspiration, and activating latent potentials. This paper has been dedicated to specifications of true and metaphorical love and has also discussed the sign of true love and the metaphorical love that leads to true love. For this reason, human beings should be following their wisdom and religious law when choosing their tendencies and direction of their efforts. On the other hand, I have elaborated on the amenities of metaphorical love both in this world and the Hereafter.

Love is an attractive, amazing and fateful fact. It is so amazing that major and conflicting discussions by thinkers have revolved around love. Some consider it a noxious state of the heart that should be remedied while others consider it a prelude to human march toward perfection, which should be lauded. In this paper, we would try to analyze the meaning of love and judge about it. Then we will try to find a way to pass over the metaphorical love toward what is true. Also, some interpretations and solutions presented in this regard will be offered.

Why human beings fall in love with each other and what should they do in the face of this emotion? The answer given by Osho to this answer is different from that given by the Islamic mysticism. Undoubtedly, metaphorical love is a prelude to true love, but Osho stresses on the sexual pleasure and worldly happiness, accepts its instability and seeks God though material and mundane pleasures. Of course, he recommends that the sexual love should be combined with care for purification and worship, so that, its pleasure becomes more profound.However, the Islamic mysticism prescribes passing from metaphorical love to true love in two plans. The first plan, which pertains to metaphorical love, is about discovery and emergence of true love and the second plan, is about its persistence. We need metaphorical love in order for true love to bud in our hearts and to assure persistence of true love, we must acquire needed skills at the school of metaphorical love. In the first plan, inhibiting expression of love will lead us to discovery of true love while in the second plan; skill in expression of love will teach us how to be steadfast in true love.

The idea of the existence of a humiliating female nature, which is more or less based on different biological functions of women and considers those functions as the main characteristics of women, is still in force. The high speed of women’s nudity in contrast to covered image of men, which has turned into an international event, is the result of a persistent cultural and institutional process.Once face of that even can be assess by assuming existence of a cultural system, which is “lust- oriented”. That cultural system is a relatively universal system of norms and most men and women try to create and preserve it willingly or unwillingly through their daily personal actions.From another angle, in the lust-oriented culture of modern times, women have always been viewed as being “close to nature” while men “closer to civilization”. That is, they should be conquered like the nature. The conventional nakedness of women in sports fields, media, and cyberspace is a manifestation of exploitation of women’s nature; as if that nature does not want to become civilized.Another aspect of female sex obsession can be seen in economic exploitation of female sex appeal. Widespread use of in unskillful, but beautiful women as clerks and secretaries both in our country and in the world has become quite ordinary. Also, based on double standards of labor market, inferior jobs are usually assigned to women while men are entitled to higher posts. In our modern world, women are more vulnerable to identity crisis than men, which makes everybody refer to their bodies as the main source of identity. This crisis paves the way for emergence of “temporary” identities that some people create for them to find a relative secure basis for facing the world. One of such identities is “physical identity”. On the whole, Michel Foucault, reject the Freudian theory that modern industrial societies have entered and age of increasing suppression of sexual desire. On the contrary, we are witnessing widespread ease of establishing sexual relations. If we want to oppose the existing lust-oriented system which claims to be controlling bodies, pleasures and various branches of knowledge, we must first get rid of gender factor.

Since immense growth of communication technologies is one of the main serious issues in the modern world and rich investors in this failed make full advantage of capabilities of digital technology to make new communication possibilities available to mankind without much care for human aspects of them, it seems that criticism of “products” of this commercial – cultural process such as “virtual or cyber love” will provide modern humans with a vital opportunity to make a “rational” and “cognitive” and “gnostic” choice. In this way, they will be able to make “their rational choice” out of “bewildering diversity of possibilities”. The present article will try to describe five major features of “cyber love” and endeavors in two separate sections of “criticism and opinion” to criticize the opinions of users of this communication method through a “rational” approach.