Contents
Introduction
Love as an Existential Nudge
An Invitation to Self-Actualization
The Risks of Love
Love’s Panoramic Calling
Love as a Gamble
1. The Hall of Mirrors
The Quest for Wholeness
The Beloved as Mirror
The Pitfalls of Narcissism
The Specificity of Desire
The Speck of Corruption
2. The Patterns of Passion
The Compulsion to Repeat
Repetition as World-Structuring
Missing Our Step
Riding the Turbulence
Managing the Repetition
3. The Sliver of Eternity
The Human and the Divine
The Nick of Time
The Fall Into Tenderness
The Process of Becoming
The Reinvention of Identity
4. The Midst of Life
The True Self
The Touch of Madness
The Flight from Passion
Beyond Romantic Nihilism
Passion’s Enduring Imprint
5. The Edge of Mystery
The Enigma of the Other
Messages That Motivate
The Clearing of Unknowability
The Softness of Silence
The Craving for Solitude
6. The Ambivalence of Ideals
Between Reality and Fantasy
The Generosity of Ideals
Ideals That Deplete
Keeping Desire Alive
Love beyond Ideals
7. The Intrigue of Obstacles
Jumping Hurdles
When Satisfaction Threatens
The Desire to Desire
The Bedrock of Desire
Love’s Apprenticeship
8. The Initiations of Sadness
The Aftermath of Loss
From Sadness to Creativity
Moving beyond Melancholia
Giving Up Pain
The Wisdom of the Past
9. The Lessons of Love
The Transience of Romance
The Mission of Love
Respecting Love’s Rhythm
The Fidelity to Love
Love as a Process
Conclusion
The Ethics of Relationality
A Call for Accountability
Steering Clear of Masochism
The Other Side
Continuing to Care
Index