Newswise — George Hole has a goal for each of his students—to become better and wiser lovers.
Hole, a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of philosophy at Buffalo State College, teaches a 300-level course titled the Philosophy of Love and Sex. The course encourages students to explore, understand, and evaluate personal and public beliefs and experiences about love and sex.
With Valentine's Day approaching, Hole was asked to reflect on his years of teaching the course and provide three prominent themes or qualities needed to sustain a loving relationship.
1. Reciprocal Specialness: "The idea for both parties is to treat every day like its Valentine's Day. It is easy to fall into the trap of giving the same anniversary gift over and over, so find unique ways to express your affection."
2. Mindfulness: "Enjoy the moment and be mindful of the person you care about. Try hard not to let trivial squabbles bog you down. In the end, the source of such a dispute really does not matter."
3. The Capacity to Listen: "Give your significant other your full attention and look them in the eyes when they are talking to you. Engage in true heart-to-heart conversations."
While Hole enjoys analyzing the Philosophy of Love, he will not be taking up a career in relationship counseling anytime soon. "I'm not Dr. Phil," he joked.
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