LOVE ?

I know Valentine’s Day is in 3 days, but I thought I’d get my love post out early- in hopes of empowering our thoughts and ourselves – about love.


It was Shakespeare who said, “ ’Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all”. Since love eventually dies, I would disagree with Shakespeare and save myself from the heartbreak. How could people love if it doesn’t last? Shakespeare is best known for creating tragedies and epics on love and romance. His famous epic- Romeo and Juliet ended up with the star crossed lovers dead!


Are animals like us- are they all crazy about the love stuff too? I know penguins choose one mate and stay with them forever. Lobsters too, but as far as other animals go, bonobos for example, they just mate with every other bonobo they see. Now, that’s not love.


Then where does our love obsession come from? I may be cynical about the longevity of love, but I do think that love is a quality that is innate. We can have every major obstacle in our life, whether it be cancer in the family, the big SATs or getting drafted to Afghanistan… yet it is love for our significant other that we think about. It’s what keeps us hopeful…or yearning.


The best way to explain about our collective human yearning for love...is revealed in the book, Eat Pray and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Gilbert met Cambodian refugees who had gone through war, torture, great human despair, but all they spoke of were about their relationships. Gilbert writes, "Collectively, as a species, this is our emotional landscape.... There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over, all through history. How much do you love me? and Who's in charge? Everything else is somehow manageable."


Maybe Shakespeare’s not so wrong after all…. maybe it is better to have loved...then I have yet to see Cupid.