Away from the objet petit a: embarking on the path of the ex-sistence

Each relation is always libidinal. The base upon which the other is experienced as repelling or attractive is determined by a libidinal response whereas the certain amount of the libido is to be invested in the relation. Simultaneously, the amount of libidinal investment in the other varies depending whether the other is perceived to possess the object of one’s desire or not, and to trigger one’s desire. This, of course, is not reducible only to the erotic attraction. The libido is at the base of each relation as it were. More precisely, the libido underlies our relations. It supports our actions unconsciously, which does not imply that libido determines action but predisposes us to act. The libido simply drives us to any action. On the other hand, the direction of our action is determined by the object-cause of the desire. The cultivation of desire is a way out to upheave the instinctive pursuit of desire....