This drug called love

Y do we love?

Why do we have this intense feeling for someone or something? Is it exclusive to the human species, or do other animals also feel it and we just don't (can't) know it? I surely don't know the answer to these questions, and it is not my intention to dwell on this (not today, at least).

I'm just here to say that love is like a drug, very addictive. And I'm yet to discover an addiction that isn't bad for one's health, either physically, mentally or both - often the latter. Like for drugs, you can try to replace love with other shitty supplements - chocolate, for example. But they don't get the job done, and the side-effects aren't even remotely worth it. Also, like for drugs, too much love can kill you (almost quoting Queen), or at least leave you with a broken heart. Yet, some simply don't care about love, as they don't care about any other drug, and some just like to try different sorts of drugs, without having a real interest for them. Some are too scared to try it, afraid they might end up getting hurt. And there are those that go to rehab, either because they overdosed on love, or simply because they don't want to be addicts anymore.

And love rehab is as difficult as any other type of rehab (this is me guessing, of course). While some succeed, there are those who just can't go through with it and those that relapse on the loved one.

Finally, like for drugs, unfortunately, the amazing and pleasureful sensation isn't everlasting. It weakens with every fix, and it fades with time... By then, you can either stay faithful to the drug that brought you so much pleasure in the past, even though it brings you ephemeral satisfaction, or you can change drugs and discover new sensations.

That, my friend, is a choice I leave to you.

Déjà vu

Y do we have déjà vu?

Although I find this feeling strangely pleasant, I've always wondered the reason for it to happen. Several theories have been formulated to explain it, with some being more plausible than others. The fact is that nobody can say what a déjà vu truly is.

Some argue it may be a recollection of a past experience that is remarkably similar to the present experience that triggers the déjà vu sensation. Although it has some logic, I tend to feel that my "memory" of the event is precisely identical to what I'm experiencing at the time of the déjà vu, and not just similar. Also, I can sometimes say when that past experience has occurred - does this mean that my brain is making stuff up to fill the gaps created by the déjà vu?

Another, but less plausible explanation, refers to a delay between what is perceived by both eyes, thereby creating the recollection effect. I say this is less plausible because my déjà vu are often triggered by what I hear and feel, and not only what I see. Also, I don't like the idea of having a lazy eye :)

My favourite explanation, that I came up with some years ago and got amazingly disappointed when I found out that it wasn't original (right about when I discovered I wasn't alone in the world...), although it is definitely the least realistic of them all, is that during a déjà vu we perceive something that is happening as something that already happened, because in fact it has already happened (confused?). And at this point I can't quite choose the explanation to why it has happened before:

- hypothesis 1: it already happened to us, but in previous lifetimes; why? because we (we, the universe and all that it contains) are stuck in an endless loop, and everything happens exactly the same way over and over again. And sometimes along the way we recall past experiences while we are experiencing them (again!). This loop is explained by the limited expansion and subsequent contraction of the universe, leading to an infinite number of Big Bangs and Big Crunches. Of course, this implies that the universe is not expanding indefinitely, which has yet to be proved - just a minor detail...

- hypothesis 2: it already happened to us, but in a parallel universe; imagine that an infinite number of universes exist, in which we made different choices somewhere along our lives; still, sometimes we experience the same exact situation in both universes, although not necessarily at the same time. This creates an overlap between the different realities, thereby leading to the déjà vu sensation.

Science fiction always gives the best answers to life's most important questions, doesn't it?