My silly thoughts as I read this.

And it's worth noting that some of Oskar's tribulations are based on experiences endured by Lindqvist himself as a boy

There is nothing that makes my blood boil more. I have not seen LTROI in a while, but afair he provides some explanation at the end. He suggests that bullies bully because they too are being bullied. And I have heard this over and over from many sources, so it must be true, yet it does not help much or make me feel better. Why do people feel the need to preserve that pain from being mistreated by taking it out on another? Perhaps on a personal level, but in the greater scheme of things this makes no functional sense.

What would you say is, for most people, the most fundamental and significant desire in life? I would say, relationship. Desire for relationship is, I think, absolutely central for the majority of people.

Where does the need to procreate so deeply imprinted into our genetic makeup fit into all this? Your jargon has me puzzled. How does sexuality connect with sexual love and other forms of relation and frienship? An amateurish question perhaps, but one I would like to ask nonetheless.

This is not to denigrate sexual love, but the opposite; because it places the focus on the significance of the desire for relational intimacy which lies behind sexual love just as surely as behind other forms.

I was under the impression that sex drive is evolution's way of making sure that species procreate.

I think it must be true that in sexual love, relationally disconnected physical pleasure is not the focus. Negativity towards the value of sexuality is therefore always characterised by lack of empathy on the part of commentators. Is this true for intergenerational sexual relationships? Yes, just as much as it's true of any type of mutual sexual relationship. The negative critic cannot relate to the experience shared by the lovers - s/he cannot empathise.

Hehe. Other than the fact that perhaps my inexperience is holding me back, I see nothing wrong with my empathic abilities.