On Love

One of the most confusing topics my whole life has been about love.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

In early April of 2022 I began a series on the subject of love. It is a topic that we will never completely master, but to get started, let’s ask the most basic of questions. What is love really?

It seemed to me, while growing up, there were two sources attempting to teach me the answer.

The first began at birth and continued slowly over time, sometimes imperceptibly. I believe it is continuing its instructions to this day. I will talk more about this one in a bit.

The second source was louder and more in my face. It was also, fortunately, intermittent. It would blast away from magazines, music, and fashions of the day. Everything that appeared new and enticing to whatever age I was at the time, would, at least for short bursts, trump everything else – meaning I would give it serious consideration. And what was its message about love? Here is a familiar song that I think sums it up quite well.

Who can argue with the Beatles? In a nutshell the message of this song is that all I need is love and that I have what it takes to play the game. Just what one needs to hear when going through puberty.

As it turns out, the two sources were giving me different ideas about what love is, so for the next few days, I will try to clarify — at least in my own mind — what love really is. In the meantime, feel free to share and comment as we go.