The Nature of Love

An essay exploring love and the nature of it- short sweet, and to the point.

Oh, love! Some of the greatest works of literature have been written in the name of love, by the likes of Byron, Shelley, the Brownings, just to name a few. Another work of literature that comes to mind is The Song of Solomon or the Psalm of Psalms. (Seriously. Read it and think on what the author of that particular book of the Bible is saying; the imagery used, the words.. *sigh*. So romantic.)

    Many, when they hear the word “love” or consider it, think of, well, to quote Thumper from “Bambi”, being twitterpated. People think of the joy of falling in love, the joy of having that companionship with someone that you are sexually attracted to, and to be the center of their universe. Love, however, is a verb, a noun, and a promise. Love is something that you feel, yes, but it is something that, when you say, “I love you,” you are promising to accept their faults, accept their mistakes, and to show mercy and compassion to them in their times of turmoil and when they make mistakes. (However, there are instances where, while you forgive a person and may love them, you have to love yourself enough to let them go. In instances of any type of abuse, for instance. Feel no guilt about letting someone go that has abused you or tried to control you because you must love yourself and YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THAT! And this goes for men and women, both.)

    On that note, the love that few consider is the love of self. Love of self, as in all things, is not necessarily a bad thing, but many go too far with it, while others do not go far enough with it. It is okay to love yourself enough to take care of yourself, to get what you need, and to spoil yourself with a new book, or some chocolate. Self love primarily means being willing to take care of yourself health wise, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It means helping yourself grow, and also being who you are meant to be, who you were born and created to be.

    Familial love is present, and so many types of love exist within the world. Love for your fellow man, love for animals, and, as mentioned, familial love. All of these types of love require action, and hard work. It is not so easy as falling in love and then riding off into the sunset. Love requires so much work and it’s not all unicorns, rainbows, sunshine, and flowers. There are dark days, and, for some of them, you may be alone. But, on those lonely days, you can love yourself and use them to help yourself grow.

    The nature of love sees the broken people, the hurt, the sorrow, and offers compassion, mercy, kindness, and support. The nature of love also sees the joy, the happiness, the light, and rejoices in truth and in good, with no boasting and no evil intent towards another. Love is the greatest action of all and leads to so many others. In conclusion, Mother Teresa once said, “I have found the paradox that if you love until it hurts, there can be no hurt, only love.”