"
I love you, Edgar."
Oh, really? Are you sure about that? There sure is a lot of love in a world full of
problems, and it seems to me as though if
everyone understood the
requirements of
true love that there would necessarily be less
suffering, fewer
broken homes, and not so many
domestic disputes. I can't be
100% sure about that in light of
missing evidence.
Most of this is aimed at
guys, to save some extra typing and
explanation. If you're a
gal, please
mentally insert the appropriate
terminology in such a way that this does not make you feel like a
lesbian unless you are.
I'm not the first to make this
observation, but most people who claim to love
each other really don't. As an
example, look to a
celebrity whom you find
attractive: Do you love that person, or do you love her ("his," if applicable here)
wealth,
appearance,
stature, or
breasts?
Now, walk around for a little bit in a
public area and notice all the
handsome guys walking about
arm-in-arm with
cute girls at their sides. Do you
believe they are more strongly
attracted to these partners than you are? Jump on
Napster and look up
Trace Atkins' song
This Ain't No Thinking Thing.
Give it a listen, and you hear words
typical of
shallow love such as "This ain't no thinking thing, right brain/left brain it goes a little
deeper than that. It's a
chemical,
physical,
emotional devotion, somethin' that we can't
hold back."
Is there such a thing as
devotion deeper than
chemical reactions? I should hope so.
Last night I watched
Jane Eyre on my
TiVo powered unit. The movie lead me with
mixed feelings about what was going on until the very end, because you can't
determine how strong a bond is until it fails. If you want the
spoiler (which I give here for the sake of the
analogy), then continue.
At the end,
Jane returns to her
man and learns he's been in a terrible
accident, which has left him
scarred and
blind. She remains
adamant in her decision to remain with him for the
remainder of her life. Then it becomes clear that she is willing to
stick with it in sickness and in health,
for better or worse, until death. How many people can you name who are the same way?
True love springs not from the
heart, but from the
mind; it's the power of will, to
look beyond the surface and
appreciate the value of the person,
disregarding social or financial
standing. Looking at a person thinking "She makes my heart go
pitter patter is the wrong approach, I think.
Only through effort can true love be found. It's not something that
descends from the heart, or happens by
accident. I can easily
appreciate good looks. Any
damn fool can do that.