Love is the keyword I chose to focus on. Following up on the previous column, I left you guys with the question, “Can our lives be happy?” and insisted that I almost seemed to find the way. If you remember, love was one of three sources to be happy. Hence, defining and knowing love is crucial to explain my answer to the question.
Love is an abstract thing that we cannot see directly; we can only witness it through our actions. So, although there could be multiple interpretations and ways people define it, I would like to borrow the words from the Bible. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
The book of 1 Corinthians provides a detailed description of what love looks like. The book describes how people would act towards someone whom they love. Anyone would be patient and kind to their loved ones. No one would intend to dishonor or be angry at their lovers. All loving parents would protect, trust, hope for, and persevere with their children. The definition seems quite obvious since we all know what love looks like. Having different stances on the Bible would not stop anyone from agreeing on this decent definition of love.
Having established the definition, we now turn to the question: Can we truly love another being? By now, most of us might agree on what love looks like, and at the same time, we may also think it is almost impossible to embody love fully. It is hard to imagine a person who consistently fulfills every ideal of love. The closest comparison is perhaps a parent’s love, but even that has its flaws. Nevertheless, despite our best intentions, we often fail to love perfectly. At times, we express anger, show disrespect, or harbor mistrust. These failures reveal that our love is imperfect.
On top of that, loving someone unrelated or unlovely is even harder. Everyone would at least try to express love to their loved ones. However, people are often unwilling to attempt to love someone they hate. At this point, you might ask why we should even try to love the mean ones. The reason is that the rejoicing of love not only comes from receiving but also from giving.
Additionally, our loved ones are not there forever with us. The presence of family, close friends, and other loved ones in our lives is not something to be taken for granted; it is, instead, a profound blessing. The unpredictable course of life shows this reality, as peaceful relationships may face unexpected challenges at any moment. It could be small disputes, acts of betrayal, or even irrevocable separation caused by death.
Discovering the imperfections in our love is miserable because we need love to be happy. We are beings that need to be loved by others and to love others. Unless we figure out the true love, a truly happy life remains out of reach. Fortunately, true love does exist, and it is possible for us to love others. Yet, before disclosing it, I will reveal two observations about love related to true love. First, everyone must be loved before they can be lovable. Second, love seems to be about giving what we cannot. Until the next article, take time to reflect on these observations to gain a deeper understanding of true love.
