Philosophical Monday: Love

Love is perhaps the most intimidating subject; it has been chewed up, regurgitated and spat out thousands of times.  It has been trivialized, dramatized, done and overdone so many times that the essence of what love really is has been removed from this life time.  This is (in one page) what I have learnt love to be…

Love really is all around us and no matter how many people try to fabricate the fact that they are essentially unloved, the reality is that we all have the chance to love and be loved and this opportunity exists no matter who you are or where you are.  The truth of this misconception is that most of us are too blind and ignorant to see love because we are too caught up in our own preconceived ideas about what it is and how it should appear.  It is apparent to me that if love isn’t wrapped up perfectly with a bright red ribbon around it and one of those flashing bright arrows outside some cheap motel, love does not exist.  If it doesn’t knock you off your feet, if it doesn’t come in a tall, charming, witty and attractive package with accessories-there is no love but, is that because we fail to recognize it?

What I have learnt about love is this. It exists in all forms.  Love is always available for the asking and the taking, that is only if individuals could remove themselves from the preconceived ideas of finding someone to become complete and were to realize that we are born as a whole.  We are all alone in this world but many are still caught up with the facade of attachment to someone else wanting them to be their escape.  We need to realize that love will not rescue us from our hectic lifestyles and sweep us to another realm filled with romance and lust.  Of course this is a part of love - but that is just it - parts of a bigger formation of love.  

There are close friends, children filled with innocence, distant neighbours, and hard fronted colleagues whom too are yearning for someone to know they matter. But before people try to bring pity into their world because nobody loves them or because the only person that they allowed themselves to see express love towards them now withholds it… You need to look around.  Notice the possibility everywhere.  Embrace the love that the flowers radiate in spring, embrace the innocent smile and wonder in a child’s eyes when they explore your being, embrace the friend who loves you unconditionally, the family members that can be paralleled to the amazing pillars of historic times in Rome, and embrace those whom are in love with the pureness of our souls.  But remember that there is more to this life than one person (even when you do find that person-your soul mate) – more to this life than who we are and what we will do, and more to this life than a transient person from our lives who we can easily be persuaded in to believe that they complete our being.  


I believe that when you make loving others the story of your life there will never be a final chapter, because the legacy of this form of love will continue to reinvent itself time and time again.  When you lend your light to one person they will lend theirs…the world can be illuminated but the spark comes from within.  Just love.


xx em xx