Love is... (February 12,2008)

Love is…
By Maria Reylan M. Garcia

This statement had challenged yet the greatest minds. Noah Webster, when asked, was caught speechless and out of words. Isaac Newton would rather bake the fallen 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 a cell out of these people, but it got their brains constricting 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 men who strives to give meaning to love tends 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, whether 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 presumed they just haven’t met Chris, a seven year old boy who defined love as how he sees it to be. For Chris, Love is “when your puppy licks your face even after you left him all day”. The seven year old boy saw love in the simplest of situations; he saw love in the 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 presumed they haven’t met Lola Elsa, a 75 year old lady who defined love as how she experienced it to be. For Lola Elsa, Love is “the fifty years of untiring sweet talks, candle light dinners, petty love quarrels and night hugs and kisses with Lolo Rene”. The 75 year old lady 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 he 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 as superficial, material and tangible which in fact it’s the most abstract thing existing. I presumed they haven’t met Beatrice, a three year old girl who defined love as how she felt it to be. For Beatrice, Love is “when mommy and daddy kisses me good night and never leaves me until I sleep.” The three year old girl felt love in the warmth of a parent’s care; she saw love in the playful kisses and bear hugs her parents give her before she sleeps. Love has no ultimate definition. Every person may define love according to how he felt it to be.

Love is not something to be defined because it needs to be. It is literally just everywhere. Love is the moment your teacher praised 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, experience and feel it like any other tangible thing around. One that is not visible but is around, the closest thing to magic that we got.

This Valentine’s let us remember that this day isn’t just for the lovers smooching their way to celebrate. Valentine’s 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.