[ExI] EP and sentimentality was songs 2

[hkhenson]

At 10:58 AM 12/11/2007, Seien wrote:

>PJ, the sentimentalism in that announcement is nigh-overwhelming. I 
>am sure that if I asked you explain to me what love is, you would 
>find it very hard very quickly. Christmas, as far as I can deduce, 
>is of value as either a celebration composed of part tradition and 
>part commercialism, or as nothing at all. It's nice to say it's a 
>celebration of love, but when considered objectively that feels 
>almost mawkish, and on top of that it's meaningless as a statement. 
>Paying lip service to love? That sounds revolting.
>
>And, love is all that matters? If that is the moral of story, I hate 
>it even more! "Love is all that matters" is a ghastly statement, 
>condemning one to a lifetime of irrational behaviour. If someone 
>does not know what to do in a situation, and you tell them to do 
>what makes them happy, for instance, you haven't helped them. They 
>KNOW what to do to make them happy, that's not what's causing the 
>problem. They want to know what they ought to do; in other words, 
>what is morally right. Morality is the theory of decision-making, if 
>you like - it includes knowledge on what is the best way to live.
>
>Morality:Superior; Love:Inferior.

Ok, let's drag out the mental EP microscope and look at 
sentimentality. Why do some stories affect most people in a highly 
emotional way?  I have not given this much thought, so take a crack 
at it and you teach me.  We can start by listing stories and 
describing common features.

I will contribute one, The short story "Leaf by Niggle" by JRR 
Tolkien. It's impossible for me to read or even to think about 
without dripping tears.

Please play by the EP rules.

Keith