“It is better to have loved and lost
than never to have loved at all.”
– Poem In Memoriam by Alfred Lord Tennyson: 27, 1850
People, through the centuries, have wondered aloud, and in another way, their thoughts on the four-letter word that encapsulates a storm in a cup of tea. They have boasted of theories and jumped to conclusions. They have dug up the roots of the human body and mind to find satisfying answers. They have conducted experiments, organized debates, shared opinions, studied behavioral pie charts, and tried in every possible way to describe the feeling of love. Yet the same people are stunned when faced with the same situation in their own lives. So, what is love?
The definition of love is like a secluded island, deep in the heart of the sea. Anyone trying to get there can only get close but can’t touch down. Similarly, you can only ‘try’ to define love; its definition may be correct up to a point, but it can never hit the mark. The reason is not your incompetence; it’s just that the definition is in the perception of the person trying to define it and perceptions vary. So instead of trying to do the impossible, let’s dwell on the taste of love and forget the recipe behind it!
Love is a word that captures the essence of both the deep and the profane. Love songs and ballads seem melodious to the person who has not been in a man-woman relationship as well. In fact, to limit the facets of love to the confines of the words ‘I love you’ is to close off your aura to a great extent. You cannot determine which form of love is pure: son-mother, man-woman, brother-sister, devotee of God.
You know you are in love when you feel that another person’s influence is more imposing on your thought process than your own ideas and opinions. You begin to think in terms of the person you are in love with. You want to make yourself worthy of that person, always placing them on the highest pedestal. You always have doubts about what you should do to make him happy and what you should not do. You are willing to take the pain and blame yourself instead of letting your loved one frown in worry. You feel that the whole world is against you and that no one is your friend. You live in a world of your own where entry is restricted only to people who understand the value of that world.
“Who wants a cynic who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing?” asked Oscar Wilde. The meaning of love cannot be explained to the cynics; if you have it in you, you get the meaning without a word being spoken. If you don’t feel the heat melting your heart, no one will be able to pierce it into the cold interiors of your soul. Love is what makes two people sit together on a bench, when there is plenty of room on either side. Love is when you go your separate ways, not saying a word the whole time, and still feel like you’ve had the best conversation of your life. Love is also like the sand that slips through your fingers the more you try to hold it tighter. So express your love to your loved ones with free love greetings and love cards now. Tomorrow may not come with the same lucky streak!