“Love is just like the measles: we all have to go through it”
Jerome K. Jerome
We talk a lot about happiness every day. Some people may point out that money, good job or big house are the main elements of happiness. However we cannot be happy without love. We need to know that there is somebody in the world who cares about you and will support you in any case.
Nobody can give the definition of love. Some people think that it is a strong feeling of personal attachment between friends or family members. In fact true love is an emotion that can hardly be caught. For some reasons you can feel sorrow, wickedness or joy but love usually comes without any reasons. It may strike like love at first sight or it may sneak up to you as a robber and steal your heart. It may disappear without any reasons as well. It can evaporate for no apparent reason, leaving you wondering what brought it on in the first place.
Love is perhaps the most elusive of the emotions. This is the only feeling that cannot be described. Only talented poets are given the gift of using unusual word-combinations and stylistic devices to express it somehow in their own way.
So what is actually “love”? Some people believe that on a certain stage of animal evolution some chemical reactions turned into the feelings that we now describe as “falling in love”. However the most interesting thing is that we cannot be sure about real meaning of the words “falling in love”. Then when exactly during the evolution these reactions became feelings? Which creatures had an opportunity to feel it first in the way that we feel it now? It may jellyfish or amoeba. Or some bigger animals like Mr. and Mrs. Lion? We are not sure about these questions but we can definitely say that there is something in the air that keeps them together till the end of their life. And this “something” shares the pain, grief and joy of another partner. When a lion in the jungle gives a great big roar there is another lion who knows just what he is roaring for.
There is no wonder that love exists when we are talking about people. It has been existing for hundreds of years. However we can admit that during different epochs it has been explained in different manners. The word itself is so small but it carries the great feeling. This small word could even change the flow of the history. It has created the pieces of art, it has cheered the forlorn. It drove a lot of strong men crazy. Love was the main reason of wars even in ancient times. Let us only remember that Trojan War started because of big love. Love can make rich people poor and strong kings weak.
If we search for the source of this word, we find a history vague and confusing. It stretches back for millennia. Some linguists claim that it can be traced back to the Sanskrit word that means “desire”. We use this word so often that it can mean almost nothing. However almost everyone is looking for love like for gold or a jewel but not all will find it.
Real love should be unconditional. This means that when you are in love with somebody, you forget about yourself. The life of your partner becomes the integral part of your life. And you love him/her for no reason and you love everything in him/her. All features attract you. You are ready to give your sacrifice yourself for the sake of your love (Baer 5).
True love occurs really not so often. Love catches us always unexpectedly. I have a friend who can prove it as no one else. After finishing school she took some computer courses. At the very first lesson there she fell in love with one guy. From her words, that was love from the first sight. However that young man disappeared and he stopped attending the courses. My friend still hoped for the meeting and she was always waiting for him from lecture to lecture. One day she received a call from him and he proposed to go somewhere for a coffee. It found out that he liked her from the first sight too but because of some problems in the family he had to leave the courses. But the thoughts about that charming girl were always in his mind and he decided to ask the tutor for a phone number. After long conversations they found out that they were studying in the same school but he was older for one year. It was strange that they had never met before and they found each other accidently. Now they are married and they are sure that no matter where you are and what you are doing, love will find you even when you are not waiting for it.
Nobody can teach us how to love and no one will explain you what to do. For everyone it is different. Every child finds its explanation in a different way. Every couple gives its own definition. Every mother or father go through it for a couple of times.
Love is an important part of human relationships. We all know that family or marriage is based on love. However there should be present some other elements. Statistics shows that divorced couples lacked respect. So love is a major feeling that should be combined with other human features (Eggerichs 2). For me the greatest example of ideal family is my parents. I was always wondering how people can live together for more than 30 years and still love each other. I can see it every day in my parents` eyes and everyone will feel it because of their attitude to each other. Sometimes love makes you change your tastes and some interests. My mom became a fan of football after she met my father. And my mother`s hobby of cooking greatly influenced my father. Even now after coping so many problems together, they still take care of each other.
Among all secrets that our world has, the most marvelous is love. There are only three things that will last forever: hope, trust and love. And the greatest one is love.
Works Cited
1. Baer, Greg. Real Love: The Truth about Finding Unconditional Love. New York: Penguin. 2003. Print.
2. Eggerichs, Emerson. Love & Respect. Tennesse: Thomas Nelson. 2001. Print.
