Over the years and in many of the profound conversations that I have found myself engaged in with friends, the topic of love and what it means to express said emotion towards others has surfaced just enough to leave me longing for a reasonable explanation. In fact, it was through these heart-to-hearts that I quickly realized that words like love and compassion have been easily replaced by an unwavering indifference. More often than not, and quite gradually at that, indulging in meaningless debates about mundane, fleeting things that serve the purpose of distracting us has become the norm in modern society. Essentially, change isn't an impossibility. The answer lies in our desire to bring about the kind of change that surpasses empty words. Let me ask you this: How often have you sat down and genuinely reflected upon the single most important, magnificent but all the while terrifying thing that you could ever encounter in life?
Love.
There is a fine line between our physicality and the spiritual, which leads me to yet another question: What will you take with you when your time on Earth has reached its end? What will become of that brand new car, house or the awards and numerous tokens of success meant to "prove" your self-worth? It's all fleeting and severely superficial. When all has been said and done, the sole reminder of your existence will be made known through the love you shared with those you came in contact with throughout the course of your existence. Fame, fortune, power, and recognition are naught but illusions that, time and time again, fail to preserve any part of you other than a memory. On the contrary, it is within the hearts that you have touched, the lives you have impacted and the emotion that you brought to life through these individuals that your memory will live on.
At this point, you are probably questioning where I'm even going with this, or what I have concluded that the meaning of love is, but frankly, to define love is to limit it. Albeit frightening to experience from time to time, emotion and love can be infinitely beautiful and life-changing. To love with an open heart means to embrace vulnerability and all that it entails. Yet, refusing to acknowledge said vulnerability comes as second nature to us (a defense mechanism, rather) guarded beings. Thus, we end up putting up a facade that proudly boasts of our immunity to love and the acceptance of emotion. Ultimately, acting in such a way can sometimes result in a one-way ticket to disaster.
As twisted as it may come across, human beings often have the tendency of heavily depending on logic and reason as opposed to feeling and looking inward. We constantly seek answers, demand order and protect ourselves from all that seems the slightest bit impractical or sentimental. We refrain from taking risks simply because we fear the outcome(s) and are ultimately left with an endless list of 'what ifs'. Tell me, can this ever lead to genuine contentment?
Whether given or received, one of our missions on Earth is to embrace love for all that it is as well as all that it isn't. In fact, what it means to embrace love is accepting the reality that there is an infinite amount of what we have to learn from it before we can truly begin to understand its purpose. Essentially, love ventures far beyond the rational. Love is unpredictable, which is why it can't be fully explained or made sense of.
To define love is to limit it.
Love is a force with unlimited power. Love is the look in two lovers' eyes when words fall short in expressing the magnitude of their bond. Love is sacrifice despite the difficulties and obstacles that abound. Love is humility, selflessness, sincerity, devotion, and gratitude. Yet, love also involves pain. As swiftly as it arrives, love can vanish just the same. In contrast, love can birth hope through the most turbulent of circumstances. When it comes down to it, love doesn't fail, but rather we, as imperfect beings, do. However, in spite of this, there is beauty in knowing that love has the ability to endure all things. Consider the analogy stating that love is a flower that must be nurtured with utmost care in order to fully flourish.
At the end of the day, there is no sure-fire way of knowing what love has in store for us. However, what we do have established is that one can never fail when it comes to radiating the love that we wish to see in the world. Refrain from making yourself immune to emotion simply because society may find that appealing. As Charlie Chaplin once said in The Great Dictator, "We think too much and feel too little." In a world where countless of things have become mediocre and shallow, never allow love to reach that level in your life. Bask in love. Be vulnerable, free and receptive. Radiate love and watch it fall back on your lap in tenfold. Cherish your loved ones. Always try to understand why they operate in certain ways and choose to love them anyway because perfection exists in no one. Hold your children close and remind them of how much they mean to you as well as how proud, blessed and honored you feel to have them in your life.
More importantly, be mindful of who you open up to, but once they have proven themselves trustworthy, embrace your friends and allow them to love you for who you are. Refuse to portray an image that is anything unlike the person you are within. Follow the right path and the right people will gravitate towards you. Respect everyone you meet and learn from them and their experiences. Whenever you're in the presence of others, embrace the moment, put away all distractions and truly savor the beauty of bonding. Above all, understand that you are undoubtedly worthy of love. Don't ever allow yourself to feel any less worthy or beautiful because of your flaws, as they make up the perfectly imperfect being that you are. Though it may seem difficult from time to time, love your enemies and don't take anything to heart. Recognize how important it is to understand that deep in the core of your being, love is the answer. Lastly, find contentment in knowing that the only explanation for love is that there really isn't one to begin with. Because love's definition can't be limited or set in stone, it is ultimately up to you to create your very own version of it through what you give out to the world around you.
