Se o teu coração não quiser ceder
Não sentir paixão, não quiser sofrer
Sem fazer planos do que virá depois
O meu coração pode amar pelos dois--“Amar Pelos Dois”.If your heart doesn’t wish to give in
Not to feel passion, not to suffer
Without making plans of what will come after
My heart can love for the both of us--"Love for Both of Us."
On Monday, in a moment of melancholy, I was curious to learn who had won the Eurovision song festival. I had not watched the festival in a long time. But was pleasantly surprised to learn that Salvador Sobral had won singing his sister's song. I was enchanted by the fact that an introverted, longing ballad had won. Despite listening loyally to Catarina's Brazilian Music on Fridays, and a general, excessive fondness for Brazilian coffee and football, I don't understand a word of Portuguese (except for obrigado). So I had no idea what I was listening to.
I hesitated checking the lyrics knowing that the spell would be broken: pop tunes are too often trite, cliche, and shmaltzy. I can't say I was surprised it was a melancholic love song. The way I understand the song, the vocalist has been left by his/her beloved. Rather than accepting the end of the affair, the vocalist decides not to let go and will (stubbornly) go on loving for two.
Even though the desire to treasure something of value after it has passed is noble, the protagonist is a fool, of course; and may well have some kind of clinical disorder. (I leave it to others to label it.) Experience teaches that is better to move on after one has been dumped (after a period of mourning or reflection). This is not to condemn the fool who can't be otherwise.
I was about to let go of the song when I reflected on the oddity of saying about oneself that one has a big heart, which from stoutness shades into magnanimity. (A modest person would never say s/he could love for both; but a magnanimous person...) We tend to say that philosophy just is love of wisdom. But to philosophize often means unrequited love. By this I do not just mean the elusiveness of wisdom or truth. Rather, too often, in practice, our favorite means, argument, is designed to end discussion rather than to generate shared pursuit or mutual exchange. In the hands of many argument becomes a means of silencing--a weapon in a duel of brainpower.
Here my train of thought halted... too often in a philosophical exchange we need from each other a willingness to love for both, and there are few greater, rare joys when we give it to each other.
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