Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
St Francis de Assisi prayer
All We Need Is Love
This was said before by many poets, philosophers, in lyrics of music written by top songwriters and even by ordinary people like me. I guess that at the end of the day, we all realize that.
My favorite line in the “As time goes by”, one of the most romantic music even written, the theme of the classical movie “Casablanca” (try to listen the Carly Simon version) is “woman needs man and man must have his mate, that no one can deny”
It is one of the truest statements that can be possibly made.
Never in human History, mankind needed so much to love and be loved as in the times we live in. This explains why there are so many “single clubs”, Internet dating sites, “single parties”, matchmakers, people trying to approach friends, etc.
We live in a world where people feel an immense solitude, a sensation of abandon, devoid of real feelings, and a deep emotional black hole.
I have a German beer mug that has been in my family for 2 centuries, handed down from generation to generation. We use it to celebrate the birth of a new child in the family. It is in porcelain, all carved and decorated by hand and has a metal lid hand carved and engraved, a one of a kind piece, very unique.
It shows a garden with a handsome gentleman very well dressed and a beautiful young woman also with a beautiful dress and a parasol sitting in a bench. It is written in classical German, “Love is so sweet, love is so bitter” It was true then as it is true now, this could have been written yesterday.
I am convinced that the human beings have to go through a major disappointment in a relationship, to value, cherish and appreciate when they find their true twin soul. It is a question of having something to compare, a reference. This also should make us wiser and stronger.
By the same token, sometimes people only realize how good they had it, when they lose the special person they had and mistakenly took for granted. People let a simple situation get out of hand. Sometimes is too late, the train has left the station. They reach a point of no return.
I saw recently a couple of elderly Chinese dressing their Sunday best walking in downtown Toronto. Both I would guess are close to 90, walking holding hands, like teenagers. I was delighted with that scene.
The last image I recall from my parents was they dancing cheek to cheek, a kiss here and there, pretty much in love with each other to the very end.
What happened to the world? Or better, what happened to us? Personal achievements, successful careers, promotions, becoming wealthy, are the main priorities now? If that were so, we would not see so many people hoping for real love in their lives. The truth is that the human beings were programmed to be gregarious, to have a companion, to form a family based in strong, solid, wholesome principles, that ultimately is the mother cell of any society. The alternative would be dreadful. The day the families die, so do we. We will plunge in the abyss of total anarchy and disrespect.
Love comes in many forms, love for our parents, our children, children in general, our cousins, nephews, uncles and aunties, neighbors, people in our place of worship, other fellow human beings, even strangers, our siblings, our friends etc. They vary in intensity and form, but they are all love. He told us to love even our enemies pointing out that it was nothing special to love a friend, but to love an enemy, showed a great capacity of loving and forgiving.
I am talking here specifically about the love between a man and a woman.
The Greek billionaire Aristoteles Onassis was quoted by saying in a public washroom, episode witnessed by several people, that there were only two things really important in this world, sex and money. I disagree and I even understand the reason why he said so, he was very sick, feeling his life was coming to an end, had lost his only son, natural heir of his empire and had a lot on his mind. These were the words of a sad, bitter and hopeless man, ready to meet the Creator.
In essence, what is love? How to define a feeling? Many tried, none of their explanations were convincing to me.
What does it mean, “to be in love with someone”? It is an axiom, it cannot be equated, demonstrated by any exact science, defended in a Thesis, it can only be felt by the core of our souls and affect every cell of our bodies. No other feeling is more important, stronger or more sincere.
For those who are hoping to find a special person in a dating site, do not give up if the first tries did not work out. It is called life. But if you are blessed to find “him or “her” all the waiting and sacrifice will then be worthwhile and justified.
An old Chinese saying, full of wisdom, says, “It does not mind how many times you fall. What is really important is to stand up, shake the dust and have the strength to continue your journey”.
I wish you all good luck in your endeavors. There are still a lot of good people out there. Like they say, no pain, no gain.
LOVE is the hardest word to define, coz it really don't have any definition or even any description. But love for me means two words that make people complete "HURTS" and "HAPPINESS". Love is hurt; love is happiness....a wonderful feelings that we can give and take from our better-half.
You are definitely right.....no doubt that ALL WE NEED IS LOVE...I agree with you...You did a very good article continue making other people realize that no important thing in this world than LOVE.