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Oregon Daily Emerald
Exploring the origin of soul mates
■ From ancient Greece
to Romeo and Juliet, the idea
of one true love persists
By Holly Goodin
for the Emerald
soul mate, n. It means a person
with whom one has a strong affini
ty, according to the Random House
Webster’s College Dictionary.
^ I ''he concept of soul mates has
been around for a long time,
JL and for people who believe in
one true love, the dictionary’s defini
tion might be too bland.
The idea of searching for a soul
mate dates back to the ancient
Greeks, according to Malcolm
Wilson, a University classics pro
fessor. This quest’s origin is told in
a myth by Aristophanes in
Plato’s “Symposium.”
“Human beings were originally
round, eight-limbed creatures
with two faces and two sets of
genitals,” the story says. They
were “powerful and ambitious,”
and in order to reduce their
strength, Zeus had them cut in
two. Afterward, the split pairs
clung together in a desperate at
tempt to reunite.
“Zeus took pity on their incur
able longing and created inter
course, allowing the separated
halves to temporarily experience
the ecstasy of completion again,”
Wilson said.
Humans all have a void they
wish to fill, he said, and this desire
drives them to wander the earth in
search of their missing halves. The
myth explains why people bond
with many others until they find
their perfect fit, Wilson said.
He believes that in today’s socie
ty, most people look for their soul
mates in one person.
“The education of men and
women equally allows for a cou
ple to experience both compan
ionship and romance in a relation
ship,” he said.
The poetic story of Romeo and
Juliet, who chose to be united in
death rather than separated in life,
is a classic example of soul mates
that emphasizes the theme of one
true love, English and folklore Pro
r
Courtesy Photo
For Vanessa Scroggins, 20, and Mark Potter, 26, love at first sight happened on a cruise.
fessor Sharon Sherman said.
It may be rare for present-day
lovers to be forced apart by rivaling
families or suffer such anguish that
they sacrifice their own lives. But
Sherman said these stories do relate
to modern couples by illustrating
the intensity of human emotion —
people endure the same consuming
passion as Romeo and Juliet in their
own relationships.
“Zeus took pity on their
incurable longing and
created intercourse,
allowing the separated
halves to temporarily
experience the ecstasy
of completion again.”
Malcolm Wilson
classics professor
She thinks the idea that one true
love exists is charming and inspira
tional, but “true love is an idealis
tic concept,” she said. “People can
love more than just one person.”
She added that love is subjective
and comes in many forms.
’’Love is (also) unexplainable,”
Sherman said. She believes the sto
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ry of Romeo and Juliet encapsulates
that indefinable aspect of love.
Clearly understanding the root of
their passion or the reasoning be
hind their tragic end is impossible,
she said, and the same uncertainty
is inherent in all relationships.
“Only by experiencing love for
themselves can people decide if
true love exists,” Sherman said.
One person who does believe
in true love is Adam Olsson, 24,
who met his girlfriend Angie
Rome, 21, about a year ago while
studying in Mexico. Before the
trip, he had just ended a five-year
relationship with a girl he
thought he loved, but in retro
spect, he perceives his past rela
tionship as something he fell into
instead of chose, Olsson said. He “
simply went though the motions
and stayed in the relationship for
security, he said.
After meeting Angie, he began to
see love as an act of destiny.
“Fate brought her into my life,
but it’s my responsibility to keep
her,” he said.
Although their first moments to
gether were wonderful, their rela
tionship grew slowly, he said.
“Making the relationship work is
an investment,” he said. “It takes
time and effort, but when you con
sider every day together as a gift, it’s #
still fun. Love is an exchange of
vulnerability and understanding to
reach intimacy. Once you reach
that level, it’s truly rewarding.”
For Vanessa Scroggins, 20, and
her boyfriend Mark Potter, 26, love
happened at first sight.
“My mom told me, ‘When you
fall in love, you just know,’ but I
never believed her until I met
Mark,” Scroggins said. “After our
first night together, I knew he was
the one.”
The sparks flew just as quickly
for Potter.
“I fell in love with her the mo
ment we first kissed,” he said.
The catch to their whirlwind
romance is living half a world
apart, he said. Their relationship
began on a cruise, and they spent
one amazing week together but
then were forced to separate,
Scroggins said. Potter lives in
New Zealand, and she is a stu
dent in the United States.
“Despite the distance, we still
grow together, and I know he is
always there for me,“ she said.
He has flown out to see her twice
and remains in constant contact,
Scroggins said. Their relation
ship has continued for seven
months, and after Scroggins fin
ishes school, they plan to start a
life together.
“I don’t think we decide who we
love — it’s something out of our
control,” she said. “Mark is my
true love, and I believe we will
make it work.”
Holly Goodin is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.