Posology

A woman once told me: “What attracts in you, is the same thing that afterwards repels.” It took me a long time to understand what she meant. To explain, I want to tell a story.

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Once, I went to the Bleu exhibition, by the French artist Yves Klein, reluctant, because it was monochromatic. But it was impressive! The first wall had several small pictures, all monochromatic, but in different colors, which, side by side, formed an impactful composition. 

This is a good word for the exhibition: impactful. 

The paintings, all blue, were of incredible depth. I wanted to ‘get inside’ the painting. Many things marked me in this exhibition. Today, in my room, I have a blue ‘Venus de Milo’, copying the painter’s idea. 

At the end of the exhibition, there was a sofa for us to sit and contemplate two paintings: one was all blue and the other golden. Gold, which by common sense should attract us, repelled me; and blue, which should be monotonous, attracted. Why? I can’t say. I also have a blue and golden paintings in my living room. To remind me that what seems monotonous can attract us, and what it should attract, can repel. 

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I remembered that these days when two friends who are readers of the blog asked me to talk about love. They think I write a lot about love, even though I think it’s all just biology.

Love, you know, they say it is blind. In fact, this is just one phase of love. Passion has already been measured. It is a biochemical process that can last a maximum of 6 months. Love is not blind, but passion can blind. Literally. 

Evolutionarily, this hormones and neurotransmitters’ shower must have had the function of keeping two people together until they can reproduce. Since human females do not show the period of ovulation, not all intercourse was guarantee to lead to an offspring. It was necessary to try more than once. But how to convince the male to stay around until fertilization? How to prevent the female from jumping over the fence? Developing an inexplicable and irresistible attraction between the two. Who could do that? Love? No, biochemistry! 

But after that, conflicts between the interests of men and women, each concerned with spending the least amount of energy possible in raising the young, appeared. And then … it was each one for themselves, and evolution for all. 

“What attracts you is the same thing that repels you afterwards.” I had heard this before, but where? 

It reminded me of Paracelsus, the Swiss doctor who lived in the late 13th century and early 14th century. In the fervor of the Renaissance, he studied poisons (a poisoner was a highly sought after professional in those days) and before inventing homeopathy, he made very important considerations about the toxicity of substances. He said: 

“Everything can be toxic. What differentiates the medicine from the poison is the dose ” .

If what attracts is what later repels, then you can’t change. Change is not the answer.

Dose… The dose is the answer! Knowing how to dose is the secret of love. And of everything else.

Excerpt from the book ‘The Truth about Dogs and Cats‘ (by the author, Portuguese only). Originally published in Portuguese in 15 September 2007 at ‘Você que é biólogo…’ blog. Published in English in 2017 at my profile on Steemit platform in English