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[Jungian Cognitive Functions] Do you believe in soulmates?

astroninja

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Dec 3, 2009
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I guess I don't know what people mean when they use the term "soulmate".

Have you ever met a person that nearly completely understood you, that you could relate to on several different levels but at the same time were completely invigorated by?

That might fit the definition... if the interest is mutual and it somehow never fades. Then I suppose I'd believe in it. Will the interest never fade, however? I have no idea.

I once met someone. I've known her for 8 years now.
We've changed throughout the years, immensely.
Moved on to new friendships, new experiences, new lifestyles.
Yet, whenever we meet, and this is once every few years, there remains a spark.
It's almost electric, and sometimes I can't logically understand it, but it's there.
When the other person is upset, though we may be miles away, we each 'feel' it independently from the other, and strive to ask the other if everything is alright. We do this without prior instigation or any form of contact; just a sudden "Is everything alright?" in the space of years. I cannot explain this as well.

I have met many people in my life whom I'm compatible with and whom I have had wonderful relationships with, both romantic and platonic. But nothing comes close to that level of mutual understanding that we share. It is not even a romantic kind of chemistry.

It's one of the things where you just... know. That when you meet this person, no matter the changes in our individual lives, no matter the ongoings of the everyday banality, you will simply maintain that connection.

I have 'felt' this before, and being an INTP, it completely frustrates me to no end. And that is perhaps why such a connection is special to me; I can't understand it, but I have to acknowledge it. I can't see it, touch it, smell it, feel it or taste it, but it is there. And only when you have experienced it once in your life will you 'get' what it feels like to be 'gotten'. I don't believe in an omnipotent God, and am NOT an advocate for unconditional, ridiculously sweetened love. But I do believe that there are things that do exist between two people that would be difficult to intellectually explain, and even more difficult to logically ignore.
 

Totenkindly

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I don't particularly believe in soul mates. I believe it's more of a mixture of personality, character, and life outlook.

I don't believe in "soul mates" either, but what you have said here.

I also find that people with some similarities to me naturally, who have gone through conceptually comparable life experiences, feel more like soulmates.

I never felt much like a soulmate with my ex, at best it was a workmate. We were functional and despite best efforts on both of our parts, it just could not go far beyond that.

In my current relationship, it was pretty much "DING!" from the start, and the depth of connection and the ease of "getting each other" is still boggling me. It can't be right if the connection is so easy... but I guess it is. It's the closest to the "soulmate" concept I've ever experienced.

But I do not think there is "one person" out there. You might have someone who would be perfect; you might not; or there could be multiple people who you could feel close to in life. it's just a matter of finding and building something with them.
 

Charmed Justice

Nickle Iron Silicone
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We've changed throughout the years, immensely.
Moved on to new friendships, new experiences, new lifestyles.
Yet, whenever we meet, and this is once every few years, there remains a spark.
It's almost electric, and sometimes I can't logically understand it, but it's there.
When the other person is upset, though we may be miles away, we each 'feel' it independently from the other, and strive to ask the other if everything is alright. We do this without prior instigation or any form of contact; just a sudden "Is everything alright?" in the space of years. I cannot explain this as well.

I have met many people in my life whom I'm compatible with and whom I have had wonderful relationships with, both romantic and platonic. But nothing comes close to that level of mutual understanding that we share. It is not even a romantic kind of chemistry.

It's one of the things where you just... know. That when you meet this person, no matter the changes in our individual lives, no matter the ongoings of the everyday banality, you will simply maintain that connection.

I have 'felt' this before, and being an INTP, it completely frustrates me to no end. And that is perhaps why such a connection is special to me; I can't understand it, but I have to acknowledge it. I can't see it, touch it, smell it, feel it or taste it, but it is there. And only when you have experienced it once in your life will you 'get' what it feels like to be 'gotten'. I don't believe in an omnipotent God, and am NOT an advocate for unconditional, ridiculously sweetened love. But I do believe that there are things that do exist between two people that would be difficult to intellectually explain, and even more difficult to logically ignore.
All of the bolded.
 

simulatedworld

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I once met someone. I've known her for 8 years now.
We've changed throughout the years, immensely.
Moved on to new friendships, new experiences, new lifestyles.
Yet, whenever we meet, and this is once every few years, there remains a spark.
It's almost electric, and sometimes I can't logically understand it, but it's there.
When the other person is upset, though we may be miles away, we each 'feel' it independently from the other, and strive to ask the other if everything is alright. We do this without prior instigation or any form of contact; just a sudden "Is everything alright?" in the space of years. I cannot explain this as well.

No chance this could be confirmation bias? You sound like you think "being upset" is a rare occurrence for some reason.

At any given time, no matter who you are, there's always something that you're going to be upset about. If you call every friend you have and say, "Hey, is anything in life upsetting or bothering you right now?", a wide majority of them will find something to confirm your suspicion.

It doesn't matter if the last time you did this was years ago, because life is inherently stressful and everyone always has some major concern to be worried about--that's just the nature of life. You could call and ask "Are you ok?" at any given time and, especially if you both believe this magical connection exists, you'd almost always be inclined to agree that something is, indeed, upsetting you.

This is like a fortune cookie that says, "Something in your life is going well right now, and something else is going badly!" You've set yourself up to believe this supernatural connection is there by setting up the test for "proof" in such broad terms that you'll always get a confirmation.
 

Totenkindly

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I like it. Also...

Tobacco is the soulmate of coffee
Tobacco is the soulmate of beer

uggh.

(Well, beer and tobacco... maybe.)

But I don't think my coffee like sleeping around with your tobacco. :steam:
 

Risen

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If predestined soulmates exist, the implications would be too perturbing for me to want to accept, so no, I don't believe in them. Rather, I would accept that there are people in this world who are maximally compatible with eachother, and life may or may not be set up such a pattern where all the variables come together to eventually create a reality where the two people meet and live happily ever after. It's a complex relationship of countless variables that have little influence of change by individuals, like mathematical constants in the world of human interactions, and thus may give the appearance of destiny or fate. Like billiard balls bouncing around on a pool table after the first breaking strike, the patterns in our lives were set in motion long before we were even born, and theres not much we can ever do to actually change the trajectory of these spheres of influence. The lives we live are a direct result of these external autonomous variables, coalesced into our experience of the world we live in, seated deep within the illusion that we actually have free will in this world. You are such a tiny dot in the chaotic movements of celestial forces that you could never hope to have any real volition of your own, no matter how strong your will is or how conscious you are. You're not in the driver's seat, you're just along for the ride.
 

visaisahero

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I really like the food/soulmate comparison! As a 'cigarette', I have encountered both my 'coffee' and my 'beer'. Right now I'm in a relationship with my 'coffee', though I think about 'beer' every now and then...

http://www.youtube.com/v/Gaid72fqzNE

^ also, here's some brilliant xNTP perspective on soulmates! (Astroninja I know you've already seen this but I'm sure everyone else will like it xD)
 

MacGuffin

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What "soulmates" are we talking about?

Keirsey's soulmate theory? Then yes.

The idea that there is one person out there that is your perfect match? Then no.
 

StrappingYoungLad

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If a soulmate is possible then why not have multiple soulmates ?

Can I have multiple soulmates without the multiverse imploding?
 

Tallulah

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I once met someone. I've known her for 8 years now.
We've changed throughout the years, immensely.
Moved on to new friendships, new experiences, new lifestyles.
Yet, whenever we meet, and this is once every few years, there remains a spark.
It's almost electric, and sometimes I can't logically understand it, but it's there.
When the other person is upset, though we may be miles away, we each 'feel' it independently from the other, and strive to ask the other if everything is alright. We do this without prior instigation or any form of contact; just a sudden "Is everything alright?" in the space of years. I cannot explain this as well.

I have met many people in my life whom I'm compatible with and whom I have had wonderful relationships with, both romantic and platonic. But nothing comes close to that level of mutual understanding that we share. It is not even a romantic kind of chemistry.

It's one of the things where you just... know. That when you meet this person, no matter the changes in our individual lives, no matter the ongoings of the everyday banality, you will simply maintain that connection.

I have 'felt' this before, and being an INTP, it completely frustrates me to no end. And that is perhaps why such a connection is special to me; I can't understand it, but I have to acknowledge it. I can't see it, touch it, smell it, feel it or taste it, but it is there. And only when you have experienced it once in your life will you 'get' what it feels like to be 'gotten'. I don't believe in an omnipotent God, and am NOT an advocate for unconditional, ridiculously sweetened love. But I do believe that there are things that do exist between two people that would be difficult to intellectually explain, and even more difficult to logically ignore.

I agree with this, and have experienced something similar. That's why I'm definitely intrigued with the idea/concept of a soulmate, and why it's hard to accept anything less "magical" (even though that's not the word I'm looking for).
 

TopherRed

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:headphne::headphne: :2ar15::party2::2ar15: :headphne::headphne: :woot::woot::moonwalk::bananallama:

What is LOVE?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No mor'.

I don't know
What can I do?
What else can I say,
it's up to you

What is right?
and what is wrong?
Give me a sign
 

Chunes

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I do.

I've met her.

It places you in an unfavorable position among others, because their tendency is to blow it off as temporary infatuation, when truly, it is best not to seek to be understood in the court of public opinion regarding this true love, as this isn't the right life for most to experience it.

It is most definitely an empathic bond that knows no distance; an affection so deep that there isn't anything you wouldn't do for each other, and you actually mean it. An all-forgiving love that never dies. Intense spiritual bonding; so intense it will scare you away if you're not ready for it yet. You can feel the spirit of your mate completing you, complementary to you in every way as surely as you can feel the rain during a downpour. It is unmistakable.
 

Charmed Justice

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I do.

I've met her.

It places you in an unfavorable position among others, because their tendency is to blow it off as temporary infatuation, when truly, it is best not to seek to be understood in the court of public opinion regarding this true love, as this isn't the right life for most to experience it.

It is most definitely an empathic bond that knows no distance; an affection so deep that there isn't anything you wouldn't do for each other, and you actually mean it. An all-forgiving love that never dies. Intense spiritual bonding; so intense it will scare you away if you're not ready for it yet. You can feel the spirit of your mate completing you, complementary to you in every way as surely as you can feel the rain during a downpour. It is unmistakable.
:cry:
 

Fluffywolf

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Do I believe in soulmates? Thankfully no. If I did I'd probably be in an inescapable pit right now. :p
 

astroninja

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Dec 3, 2009
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INTP
Just to clarify, my personal definition of a soulmate doesn't necessary have to involve a relationship that is romantic, or any overly romanticized notion of it. It is purely a situation where two souls - if you believe in the concept of 'souls', or at least, the 'entity' that makes us, us - are completely in tune with each other; a connection and bond is so strong, so compatible, that there is no denying that the 'soul' in us is stirred within and inextricable from each other. It doesn't have to be linked with 'fate', 'destiny' or most definitely not the divine aid of 'God's guiding hand'.

Also, my personal thoughts are that there can be more than one 'soulmate' in any individual''s life.
 
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