YOUNG VOICE
Love is
Noah Webster, when asked, was caught speechless and out of words. Isaac Newton would rather turn the apple into tart pie than answer it. Thomas Edison decided to turn off the light bulb and hid himself in the dark. Higher Mathematics and highfaluting words won't scare these people, but their brains constricted when asked, "What is Love?"
Thousands have tried to decipher and unlock the greatest brainteaser of all time. But none prevailed. I for one, happen to gamble my chances, but all I got were cheesy lines of: "Love is like rosary beads, that's full of mysteries" and the ever immortal "Love is blind". Amusing how a four-letter word would give one an awfully hard time to figure out its definition.
Scholarly figures who strive to give meaning to love tend to consider it to be complex and intricate; an emotion that is beyond the range of measurement, a disease that is outside the control of diagnosis. It is still unclear if love is a moment, a state, a process, or simply an implication of intense hormonal activities going on in the hypothalamus gland, the body's emotion center, and yes it's not the heart that feels.
But, I presume they just haven't met Chris, a seven-year-old boy who defines love "when your puppy licks your face even after you left him all day". He saw love in the simplest of situations, in an excited and jumping dog welcoming him home from a tiring day at school.
Love has no ultimate definition. Every person may define love according to how he has seen it.
Media today furnishes its own definition of love. The tingling sensation one gets when seated next to her crush, the blushing of cheeks after hearing some sweet words from the perfect suitor, the dreamy eyes as you share an umbrella with that special him in the rain. Love Songs, Love Movies, Love Television Series, Love Teams they all define love to be a guy and a girl racing around on the seashore with the latest OPM song played on the background. But, I presume they haven't met Lola Elsa, a 75-year-old lady who said that love is "the fifty years of untiring sweet talks, candle light dinners, petty love quarrels and night hugs and kisses with Lolo Rene". She continues to see love in the longest of time; she saw love in the unbroken promise she and Lolo Rene made more than fifty years ago in front of the altar. Love has no ultimate definition. Every person may define love according to how one has lived it.
Commercialism wrote its own description of love. The Valentine cards, three roses for ten pesos, Belgian chocolates, latest Valentine special CD release of the currently hottest hit-maker, and limited promos from breakaway destinations fit for budgeted honey moons. Love was defined to be superficial, material and tangible, when in fact it's the most abstract thing that exists.
I presume they haven't met Beatrice, a three-year-old girl who defines love as "when mommy and daddy kiss me good night and never leave me until I sleep." She feels love in the warmth of a parent's care.
Love is not something to be defined. It is literally just everywhere. Love is the moment your teacher praises you after giving the right answer to her question. Love is when you look up in the heavens and remember the Big Boss. Love is everything, from cupid's romantic arrows to mom's good night kisses. It's that certain thing that though we can never get hold of, we continue to see and experience.
This Valentines Day, let us remember that this day isn't just for the lovers smooching their way to celebrate. Valentines Day is a celebration of love, and all of us are invited because all of us had love, loves and will love.
What is love?
It's better than rosary beads or being blind.
Love is everything.