Flight School: Predator - Chapter 20: Chapter 20
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What is, exactly, so important about these two more than Io and the rest of the relationships he has established—all equally unique and endearing? Io's first friend was Pipa, which made her betrayal all the more heartbreaking for the sparrow but what sort of relationship does Io and Luka have, as the former's...5th, 6th friend?
We are here to learn that numbers do not matter, and that the time one spends with another human being can be a single minute—but goes a mile.
*
What can we understand of Io and Luka's relationship? Well, we could always look at them as individuals first.
Io loves every shit on earth. While this is typically characteristic of naive and unrealistic characters, Io's reason for Love is unthinkable and a little too abstract for the rest of the characters around him to understand. Io loves on the basis of existence. He loves things for their being, whether or not it is a choice. For existing, they make up his world (independent or not), and thus, him.
Io loves Luka because he exists—meaning, Luka doesn't need to do a thing and he will still love him. If Luka chooses to reveal a side of him he has never revealed before, Io will still love him; but if it so happens to spark hatred as well, Io will understand and accept that hatred. He will (both) love and hate Luka if he has to. The core of it all is that Love is fundamental. It is Io's core and that will never die.
This is what Io has come to acknowledge and realize when he witnesses Luka's aggression and predatory behavior during his time of heat; that despite the revelation, he will still continue to love. It isn't really a choice though. Io knows he will continue to love Luka and he cannot help it.
This Love, is, again, a love based on existence. Nothing like romantic/true love, nothing like that at all but something bigger, something that rests on life itself.
Modern literature and media tends to glorify and bring to light only one type of love and that is "True Love". Although familial and friendship-love is not too far behind, we see a rare portrayal of that in media and it is, as a matter of fact, not as popular as the first. Why does mainstream media always deem it impossible for a boy and girl to be best friends? It circles around the fact that friendship-love is inferior or loses to "True Love", going as far to paint a common mistake: that "True Love" is the only love that exists.
Whether or not it is romantic love, we have yet to understand the highest form of love, the most unconditional and beautiful, most miraculous form of love and that is love on the basis of existence.
While "True Love" requires romance;
While Familial Love requires a family;
While Friendship Love requires a friend;
Existential Love requires nothing at all—just, existence.
It is the most unconditional, and for all intents and purposes, highest form of love. This is Io's form of love to Luka, and him realizing this has led him to confess, or at least reassure the latter his love for him.
The moment softened once more, settling deep within the cages they'd forgotten to lock. It was the kind of forgetfulness that often plagued the minds of those too foolish for arms. For protection against the chill of the dark.
"I. Well," Io went on so bravely. "Luka, you are—"
"Me too."
"—you are very important to..." he began to register the words and felt his world grow. "...me."
This moment of confession, or Io telling Luka how important he is to him, is the most complex scene I have ever written and I don't think the words portray how complex it is at all because the simplicity of their words just make everything so much less wired and startling.
We know that Io is telling Luka that he is very important to him because he loves him with the highest, most unconditional form of love.
Luka, however, says: "Me too."
This is—in layman terms—FUCKING CONFUSING AS SHIT. Here are 2 reasons (out of the millions that I can think of) why:
He said it too quickly. Luka interrupted Io as soon as he said "Luka, you are—". Had he known what Io was going to say all along? Did Luka really have such a complete understanding of Io, the complex person he is? Did Luka think he was going to say something else? Something that was an entirely different thing? After all, Io hadn't finished what he was going to say. Did he really, really mean, "me too"? Was it just a mistake?
His definition of "importance". Let's assume that Luka can, miraculously, understand Io completely. Every philosophical bit of him, the thinker that Io is. Does he know that he is important to Io because of his mere existence? Does he even know Io's love towards him is that of Existential Love, or does he interpret it as other kinds of love? Could he believe that he is important to Io not because of love but because of something else? Because him saying "me too" would mean he feels the exact same way (or at least thinks he does) towards Io. But do we really know what he thinks he feels?
We are here to learn that numbers do not matter, and that the time one spends with another human being can be a single minute—but goes a mile.
*
What can we understand of Io and Luka's relationship? Well, we could always look at them as individuals first.
Io loves every shit on earth. While this is typically characteristic of naive and unrealistic characters, Io's reason for Love is unthinkable and a little too abstract for the rest of the characters around him to understand. Io loves on the basis of existence. He loves things for their being, whether or not it is a choice. For existing, they make up his world (independent or not), and thus, him.
Io loves Luka because he exists—meaning, Luka doesn't need to do a thing and he will still love him. If Luka chooses to reveal a side of him he has never revealed before, Io will still love him; but if it so happens to spark hatred as well, Io will understand and accept that hatred. He will (both) love and hate Luka if he has to. The core of it all is that Love is fundamental. It is Io's core and that will never die.
This is what Io has come to acknowledge and realize when he witnesses Luka's aggression and predatory behavior during his time of heat; that despite the revelation, he will still continue to love. It isn't really a choice though. Io knows he will continue to love Luka and he cannot help it.
This Love, is, again, a love based on existence. Nothing like romantic/true love, nothing like that at all but something bigger, something that rests on life itself.
Modern literature and media tends to glorify and bring to light only one type of love and that is "True Love". Although familial and friendship-love is not too far behind, we see a rare portrayal of that in media and it is, as a matter of fact, not as popular as the first. Why does mainstream media always deem it impossible for a boy and girl to be best friends? It circles around the fact that friendship-love is inferior or loses to "True Love", going as far to paint a common mistake: that "True Love" is the only love that exists.
Whether or not it is romantic love, we have yet to understand the highest form of love, the most unconditional and beautiful, most miraculous form of love and that is love on the basis of existence.
While "True Love" requires romance;
While Familial Love requires a family;
While Friendship Love requires a friend;
Existential Love requires nothing at all—just, existence.
It is the most unconditional, and for all intents and purposes, highest form of love. This is Io's form of love to Luka, and him realizing this has led him to confess, or at least reassure the latter his love for him.
The moment softened once more, settling deep within the cages they'd forgotten to lock. It was the kind of forgetfulness that often plagued the minds of those too foolish for arms. For protection against the chill of the dark.
"I. Well," Io went on so bravely. "Luka, you are—"
"Me too."
"—you are very important to..." he began to register the words and felt his world grow. "...me."
This moment of confession, or Io telling Luka how important he is to him, is the most complex scene I have ever written and I don't think the words portray how complex it is at all because the simplicity of their words just make everything so much less wired and startling.
We know that Io is telling Luka that he is very important to him because he loves him with the highest, most unconditional form of love.
Luka, however, says: "Me too."
This is—in layman terms—FUCKING CONFUSING AS SHIT. Here are 2 reasons (out of the millions that I can think of) why:
He said it too quickly. Luka interrupted Io as soon as he said "Luka, you are—". Had he known what Io was going to say all along? Did Luka really have such a complete understanding of Io, the complex person he is? Did Luka think he was going to say something else? Something that was an entirely different thing? After all, Io hadn't finished what he was going to say. Did he really, really mean, "me too"? Was it just a mistake?
His definition of "importance". Let's assume that Luka can, miraculously, understand Io completely. Every philosophical bit of him, the thinker that Io is. Does he know that he is important to Io because of his mere existence? Does he even know Io's love towards him is that of Existential Love, or does he interpret it as other kinds of love? Could he believe that he is important to Io not because of love but because of something else? Because him saying "me too" would mean he feels the exact same way (or at least thinks he does) towards Io. But do we really know what he thinks he feels?
End of Flight School: Predator Chapter 20. Continue reading Chapter 21 or return to Flight School: Predator book page.