What is this thing called Love

Yes, it is an old song written by Cole Porter in 1929 but he just posed the question, not the answer.

Never in my lifetime has anyone ever sat me down and explained just what love really is. An old farmer once told me: “love is a funny little thing, shaped like a lizard that runs around your heart and snaps at your gizzard.” The dictionary definition gives the word such a wide range of attributes that I’m no longer sure of its meaning. 

One definition of love is as  emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. Strong affection and personal attachment sounds a bit scary to me. In  the philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion and affection. That sounds really good but I know a few human’s that kindness, compassion and affection is not in their nature. In a religious context, love is not just a virtue, but the basis for all being, (God is love), and the foundation for all divine law (the Golden Rule). Taking all that into consideration, then it would seem that love can be anything from I love chocolate cake to a strong, religious devotion to God.

The ancient Greeks decided they needed  five words for love. Agape is translated as affection of a deeper sense i.e. true love, and is the word used in chapter 13 of the Book of Corinthians, “the love chapter.” Eros is passionate love as associated with feelings of a sensual nature between a man and a woman. The Greek word Platonic is used to indicate a strong love between friends of a non-sensual nature. Philos is used to express love between friends and family. Storge, a not often used word describes love as between parents and offspring. As I understand it, Philos is probably the most preferred word used in family life.

Love, the one word in the English language used to describe every emotion that gives us any kind of pleasant feeling about almost anything from chocolate cake to the pretty girl we see walking down the street. The most miss-used word in the English language. We have been bombarded with love songs, romantic movies and television programs and provocative television commercials for years. Is it any wonder that children “fall in love” in Junior High School, I know I did. Or at least I thought I did…several times. Lucky for me I grew up. Love is a much too meaningful a word to be bandied about without serious consideration. We need to learn the difference between love and our hormonal which drive our carnal desires.

My advice to all those young kids out there who think they’re in love. “It’s just your hormones…you’ll get over it.”

When Love Is Not Enough

The thought, when love is not enough, crossed my mind this week and I decided to let it grow into whatever would come out of my keyboard. As I sit here I think of the high divorce rate in America…maybe even the world. An old lady was asked by a reporter how her and her husband had remained married for over 60 years. The old lady calmly replied: “We were married during a time when something got broke, we fixed it.” That could be said of many married, or formerly married people today. They were once in love and for some reason something went awry and instead of trying to fix it, they just separated, then divorced. 

When I was in Junior High many years ago, my home room teacher, Miss Kate Foster, had me to memorize a chapter in the Bible. First Corinthians, chapter 13. I quote part of it here to say that in truth, love can be enough if it is exercised rightly. “Love suffers long, and is kind; love envies not; love is not boastful, is not arrogant, does not behave itself unseemly, seeks not its own, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; rejoices not in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” (I took the liberty to put the words into a more modern English for those who are not comfortable reading Shakespearean.)

There may come times when we think love is not enough. We may want to give up and call it quits. But when we sincerely think that there was one who loved us enough to die for us two thousand years ago and since then there have been many men and women who have fought and died for ours as well as others freedom, and all of that because of love for this country, one nation under God with liberty and justice for all. 

When we think in the broad terms of all that has been, there is no reason for love to not be enough in any situation we face.

Well, I said I would let it grow into whatever it would and there you have it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Your comments will be appreciated, pro or con. Thank you and God Bless.