@24.1114-1542.16atx
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Dear Marla,
I have been waiting for this moment all my life.
"The soul is always searching for itself" - Thomas Moore (modern)
Moore seems to be referring to the restless, relentless force that drives us forward. I think this is what the Greeks called "entelechia"- the drive from within to fulfill Purpose.
It is the "juice" that powers our passions.
(And, yes, sex is a big part of that, but not all. The older we become the less the hormones control our pro-creational being and a new, "deeper" dynamic of identity tries to manifest itself as new passion. OK, so, now we can no longer make babies. Where do we channel these new passions? Who the hell am I now? What is my worth, now? This is often a cause of mid-life crisis.
The solution (not easy) is to figure out who the hell you really are and then devote the rest of your life in monastic pursuit of that. (monastic = singleness of Purpose)
Pursuing our Purpose, whatever shape that may take, is what gives Meaning to our lives.
The "soul" that Moore speaks of here is who we are.
Our Purpose, then, is to become all who we are. Almost.
This is what lies at the second uppermost layer of Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
What's at the 1st layer, then? I'm adding this one to the very top of his pyramid: Bodhisaatva -- Pass what you have learned on to help others get there, too. Be a Sage.
Teach.
Be a Buddha.
In my case, Marla, Hevea has been the (metaphorical) "roommate in my head" since pre-pubescent childhood. "She" has been the only really solid, stable thing that has survived childhood, numerous romances and a lot of family and social
repression all throughout my life. "She" has always been there.
I _am_ "Hevea". She is my identity.
Now I have an opportunity to dive headlong into becoming all of the Rubberist I can be.
I will go so far into my fetish that I might come out the other side.
I vow to wear the equivalent of 100% coverage in latex 100% of the time.
And on the way, I will find ways to teach other Rubberist what I have learned to help them find their ataraxia, as well.
Marla, this is my Magnum Opus. This what I am supposed to do.