Imzadi: Fact or Fiction
A non-fanfic writing- PG in subject matter.
The subject, in one of my groups, was "What has Science Fiction Taught You About Life". I thought the logical thing for me to write about was Imzadi and whether or not it was real. The word, Gene Roddenberry coined and Paramount inherited. This is what I wrote on the subject.
Imzadi: Fact or fiction
Paraphrased quote from Peter David's book Imzadi: Imzadi- On the surface level it means Beloved or Dear One. But when used with certain people under certain circumstances it means the first to touch one's soul. The concept goes beyond the physical. It goes far deeper than that. It is the state of touching one's soul. Or, as said by another: Sex without love is just sex, but the state of having a spiritual connection makes it even deeper and more meaningful.
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Does Imzadi exist in real life? I think so and I say that without a doubt. Not just because I have recently married either, for I have been married before and it was not the same.
Does one have to have a "Jalara escapade" to experience Imzadi? No. And I say that very emphatically. You can touch one's soul, their very essence, without the act of intercourse coming first or simaltaniously.
So what is Imzadi then? It is the state of two souls touching on some level other than just the physical. They can touch one another from a distance, mentally or emotionally, and feel an all consuming love for the other. Imzadi is not physical love, but rather the love of a person's being or soulmate as we choose to call it.
A lower level of this type of love is a mother's love for her child. You have heard of stories where the mother did not see or hear her child, but just knew something was very wrong with her child. The sad thing was, she was right. You've seen your mother know what was on your mind before you even did it or said it. Coincidence? Maybe, but I like to believe it is another form of true love. Not Imzadi love. The difference here is Philo and aros. Greek words for love.
Agape is love of friend. Philo is love of family and aros goes far deeper. It is love of spouse. Which is what love between husband and wife should be. A love that goes far deeper than any other love, which is Imzadi.
Not everyone finds a mate with this type of love. Which Deanna would have been in such a relationship without Imzadi love, probably better than my first marriage though, if Wyatt Miller, the man her parents arranged for her, did not leave to go to his Imzadi. His Imzadi was the woman he was attached too on some sort of spiritual level for many years of his life before meeting her. Deanna knew and understood what was going on between the other woman and her betrothed. She knew without a doubt when she saw the woman on that quarantined ship, who looked exactly like the woman he had been drawing for years. It was that soul connection which, in this case, went over a great distance and time. She knew what she was seeing because it was what she and Will had and have. When one has experienced it, they can see true Imzadi in others who have it.
What does the state of being Imzadi feel like? You can not put it into words for it is very spiritual and philosophical to do so. All I can say is, you just know when someone has touched you on a much deeper level than anyone else has ever done. You also get the sense of doing the same to them with little doubt. You may doubt a little, but you still have this feeling that you both connected some how very deeply. You may even have the same thought as Serik, Spock's father. When asked why he married Amanda, he said, "Because, at the time, it seemed the most logical thing to do". Even so, he never backed out of his decision, because he knew they had something deeper than any words could ascribe to it.
It is far deeper than a close friend's love and deeper than a mother and child's love. It is not surface love or love for the physic of a person, but rather a love that touches clear to your very being. It is not just an emotional state of being either. It is far more than that.
Does Imzadi mean you can communicate telepathically or read the other's mind? No, but there is a communication that is unspoken sometimes. A silent language that only the two soulmates can understand. The two can move in sync with the other without spoken words. It does not imply that they are just use to each other and just know what the other will do. It is more than that. The two can understand.
It is a bond. It is also two souls that were destined to be together. However, not everyone finds the person they are destined to be with for the rest of their lives. Finding one's Imzadi is rare, but when one does, it is not a state of love, to quote a famous actress/singer from "The Mirror Has Two Faces", that "while it last it feels f****** good!" It is more than that. Imzadi is not a love that is temporary or passing. It is not necessarily love at first site, either. However, Imzadi is forever.
For when one's soul finds it's true mate, it is real love. It is true love, that surpasses any other love. It is a love that touches the very depths of two people's souls like no other has ever done before and to understand it is to have experienced it. It is not a one sided unrequited love. It is a love that is reciprocated on a level few people seem to comprehend. Most only can imagine it on a philosophical level and very few experience it.
How does one experience it? One can not unless they meet their destiny and in order to do that, two people must meet their destined one.
Being true Imzadi is also a respect for the other. To quote and define with my words Corinthians: It is patient and kind. It is not self-seeking. It is not abusive. It is caring for another. It is trust. It protects not just one, but each other. They look out for each other. They care for each other. Imzadi is never ceasing. It endures. It never fails. Yet at the same time it is a love that goes far deeper than that. How deep it goes can not be discribed in words. To discribe it in words would not be enough to explain it, but one can always try, especially if they have experienced such a love. The problem is making it comprehensible to someone who has not.
Imzadi is two people who touch each other's soul, like no one has ever done before and will most likely never do again. Imzadi can only be discussed in philosophical terms at best. Imzadi is a relationship that can not be broken or severed easily by time or distance. An Imzadi relationship can not be easily destroyed by others outside the relationship. It is a state that is not easily severed by the two in the relationship. Imzadi is a state of love that lasts forever.