Love is such a complicated thing. It seems so simple and straightforward. Either you love someone or you don’t. RIGHT? Well, not always, not all of the time.
We think of love as an emotion, usually. And it is, bundled up with a bunch of other emotions, needs, desires, expectations, life experiences, etc. Because such bundles are custom fitted to our personalities and unique ways of doing things, we often don’t recognize what others see as loving or not loving.
So many poets, philosophers, psychologists, and other scholars have tried to define or, at least, describe it, most falling short of a comprehensive, universal depiction. The Bible has probably one of the most succinct, all-encompassing descriptions, albeit highly idealistic: “LOVE IS KIND; LOVE IS PATIENT…EXPECTS ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, HOPES ALL THINGS, ENDURES ALL THINGS, LOVE NEVER ENDS.”
No, I’m not trying to preach here, just trying to point to a worthy model to consider as we celebrate this day of love, as commercialized as it is. Today will be full of joy for many, hurtful and sad and lonely for many more. I hope for each of us, that we can be grateful for those we love and show love to those who need it, including ourselves.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
