The Definition of Love
Thoughts and analysis of this amazing emotion
by Nate LovestruckSince the dawn of man, there has been love. The love for a
woman, the love for a man (and for some the love for a very
attractive goat, but we're not going to get into that.).
It's the driving force in many people's lives, making us do silly things and often act foolishly. Great wars have been fought, friends come
to hate each other, and families broken up over this most
powerful emotion. The question is, what is it? Is love a
biological process we have to make it harder to leave our
mates, thus giving the children in the tribe a better chance
for survival? Perhaps its a concept engrained in our minds
from childhood fairy tales? Or maybe it's something we
naturally are predisposed to do for the fear of ever being
alone? Whatever it is, people of today thrive to share their
life story with someone else, to have the ultimate
connection.
Love is truly an amazing thing and by far one of the most
indefinable feeling we can experience. Hopefully if you were
lucky by your mid twenties you have experienced it's
blissful sting at one point or another. An emotion that
fully enflames your soul like being on an endorphin rich
high. The food tastes better, the wine is perfect. The sky
is sunnier, the grass is greener and generally, life has few
complaints. The nature of this emotion is so bewildering yet
oddly exciting. Perfectly rational people act like lunatics
when love is threatened. People drop out of their graduation
year in university to escape just for love's sake. Why does
it have such a large influence on how we live our lives?
Walking downtown, you take a glance across the street. You
see a couple holding hands, gazing into each others eyes as they sip a warm
cup of coffee. A man with seven children, a rather beastly wife, but a big
grin on his face. That's love. Love is a feeling, you cannot see or control
but is so obviously there at the same time. Where you'd travel over a
mountain to see someone one last time, to hike for six hours just to see a
smile. To thrive to make that person the best person they can be, in
essence, almost to be selfless. A compromise that doesn't phase you, to
embrace the fact that someone else's
feelings are as important or in higher regard then your own.
Due to the nature of the word love, we all have our own
interpretations. Some care for coffee, others a good friend,
and of course there's your lover. The question some may ask,
"Is love necessarily have to be sexual?" You love your
parents, your brother and your sister. You swear you love
your friends, that you'd do anything for them. I suppose
it's all due to how you interpret the world around you. What
entices your passions, the definition of love is whatever
brings you to that blissful state. The person, the moment,
the feeling of being lost without it. To so deeply care
about something or someone that you are willing to do
anything, be it change ones thinking or sell your house.
Sadly a statement such as that also brings up the question
of "Is love always good for you." To define love, one has to
also include the risks and the dark sides. As much as love
can incite great poetry, build bonds between two opposing
countries, and turn a sour old man into a laughing teenager
again. It also has it's dangerous after effects. Be it the
feeling of desperation when it ends, anywhere from a week to
months of sitting on the couch dead in the heart. To
possibly getting taken advantage of for being blinded by love.
There are always risks involved, that's the whole point of
the game.
The beautiful thing is, is that I have never experienced a love that
wasn't worth the risk. Having experienced a broken heart more
then once now, I would happily say there is nothing worse.
Although oddly enough for a chance at the blissful feeling
that is love, I'd do it a million times over. As you go
through this life, meeting people with interesting
possibilities, never give up the chance to fall in love. You
not only get to see an amazing side of someone else, you
learn things about yourself that cannot be found any other
way. Whoever, whenever, whatever, if you feel a connection
never be scared to pursue it. If you have indeed felt the
sting of heartbreak before never let that be a determining
factor of your next journey. Be it a summer fling, a half
year romance, or the love of your life till death due us
part, the definition of love is to live and experience, to
learn and grow, and to feel "all" the highs with the lows.
Related Articles: