Love Is Much More Than Valentine’s Day

What a beautiful commercial world we live in, saturated with so many terms void of any value. Sparkly and eye catchy, but that’s as far as many things go.

People are too busy to stop and appreciate the real beauty of anything. Everybody’s in pursuit of a quick fix, a rush of blood, ecstasy. And in the midst of this parade of pretence, they miss out on the real catch.

As Elton John puts it, “there’s more to see than can ever be seen; more to do than can ever be done.” But some people’s arrogance deceives them into thinking that reducing core values to an act or two will allow them more access to ‘life’.

Even though many of us seem to enjoy free falling through this glittery abyss of hollow pretence, there remains a few who summon as much might to swim against that tide.

Commercial Love

Songs, movies, novels… even Super Mario sets out to save the princess. It makes us flap with joy everytime the main characters get to kiss (or God Knows do what else). It’s in the air, it’s everywhere. It’s so tempting that everyone wants a piece of it. Relationships, Valentine’s, Instagram couple photos, cheesy statuses… Satisfied? Are you all “in love” now? Are you living your favorite movies?

I’m not joyfully rolling in mockery because I’m bitter, God forbid. May you all find true love, for it’s a real blessing that I wish everyone is granted. But have you really found love? And is that the only form of love?

My favorite kind of Love

I was raised in a family that taught me how to see beauty in the simplest things. I’ve been told of a God who has created everything with love. And I have heard songs that remind us that “all you need is love”.

Love is so inclusive that it touches all your senses; you can feel its energy, see it in the beauty around you, listen to it in the orderly melodies of nature, or orchestrated tunes of songs.

Love is an energy, neither created nor destroyed, but changes form. It’s so universal that it stops at no barriers. A plant feels the love of its caretaker and nourishes upon it. An animal feels secure when they sense the love of a bypassing stranger. A piece of work done with love will captivate its observers with its ingenuity.

I love love because it’s a silent language of its own. Once mastered, it cushions your falls, and tints the bleakest days with hope. But you can never master anything until you practice it first, and the first practice companion is yourself.

A lot of people set out seeking love, and they overlook the fact that they have plenty of it within. If you can’t love yourself, you can neither see it around you nor pass it on to others.

You are worthy of love just the way you are. Take pride in that, and embrace it. Dig for the little things that make you shine. When you’ve found them, share their joy with the world out there. Believe me when I say, your love for yourself will inspire others to love themselves.

Seek it, and it shall find you

Love, because when we love, we tend to see the beauty in people and in things. When we love, we tend to forgive. We tend to connect. We tend to be strong. We tend to grow. We tend to be human.

Love yourself. Love people. Love all sorts of creatures. Love God. Be a hippie for all I care! Just let love flow from and through you. Pass it on, and when you have none to pass, be a beacon of joy and generate some.

Love, but make sure not to degrade it, or boil it down to some cheap Hollywood scene.