So, I’m sitting here thinking…what is the deal with love? Why do people have such issues with it? It isn’t like love is one of those things that you can live without. You can’t. Love is as important as food, water, air and shelter. And, yet, we pretend like we can do without it. Enough of the bullshit, we need to grow up, be real and deal with the fact that we love, we are loved and we crave both. In essence it’s all there is. I am not aware of any culture where love isn’t prevalent, important, revered. And, no, I’m not specifically talking about romantic love per se, but, all forms of love.
I was just thinking about this person I know who’s really into politics, human rights, volunteering, etc… but, has issues with love. I know another person, who loves their family passionately, fishing, or whatever. Yet, still believes love isn’t for them. I know some people who rather marry for money than love…but, how many times have we heard of well-off people feeling empty without some form of love? And, I just wonder to myself, “Are you guys crazy?!” No, seriously, wtf?!!! Come on, let’s zoom-out the camera lens– okay? We need to investigate.
Love is one of the common threads woven through us all. We love our parents, our family, our friends, if we’re lucky, our jobs and on and on. Chances are if love wasn’t expressed in the family unit, our first introduction to the world, you’re probably going to have issues with expressing love as an adult. But, that doesn’t keep you from wanting it, or wanting to show it. It just means you’ll have some self-work to do. Or, you may choose to overcompensate for this ailment by buying love, loving from afar, re-directing it into work or withdrawing from it all together.
Oh, and for heaven sake, don’t let someone we love hurt us! Then some will choose to swear-off love forever! They’ll deem it evil–and I guess, if you’re irrational and got hurt by someone you loved, then you might think that way. But, still…secretly, you’ll still want it, and want to show it. And, when love isn’t received or given, I truly believe something within us dies of starvation. That unnamable, indescribably part of us, that lights up whenever we feel love…whether it be given or received, it suffers without love. Think on it for a second, you’ve seen someone bitter in regards to love–they just have this air of death about them, like they are in mourning for themselves. It’s truly sad, and it is impossible for life to be happy for them from that point onward. Honestly, when I think about that–it doesn’t matter how much hurt I may experience from love in whatever form it takes…I’m not walking around like a corpse for the rest of my life. If that’s the alternative, I’d rather be dead for real!
I think if you look at all those people who are “too cool” for love, you’d find that they do love. They love: their job, their pets, their stuff, activism, the planet, God, etc… And, while it’s nice and good to love all those things mentioned, when it’s not balanced with loving yourself, or allowing others to love you, it becomes a means of escaping. What are these people escaping? Well, let’s think, your job, your dog, the planet and God (though some might argue) probably aren’t going to hurt you in your love relationship with them. So, what I’m saying is in an unbalanced love-relationship with inanimate objects or situations–you feel safe. It’s kind of like being in a basement during a hurricane, but, never leaving it, because you never realized the storm has passed. Sure, you’re safe, but, life is happening outside and you’re missing out on it! And, of course at some point your safe-house becomes a prison, because you begin to believe you can never leave it. And, thus that part of you slowly dies. I really hope people will give some thought to a life without love. Especially those who think they can be without it, that their too cool for it. In essence, you’re choosing to allow part of yourself to wither and die. And, who in their right mind would choose that?!