The garden of love is green without limit and yields many fruits other than sorrow or joy. Love is beyond either condition: without spring, without autumn, it is always fresh. ~Rumi
We know there exists, a feeling called, love. We have tried to attach so many meanings to it.
In fact, let’s see what the dictionary meaning of love is-
Love – a strong feeling of affection.
Let’s also look at the synonyms attached to it-
Endearment, affection, fondness, tenderness, intimacy, infatuation, adoration, devotion, passion, worship, yearning, lust, proclivity
And, the list shall continue, as we have bestowed love with so many meanings. In the maze of these synonyms, we have somehow lost the real meaning of love. When we say love is a feeling, then, have we ever wondered how we came to identify that with so many words which we have meticulously attached it with?
Unfortunate, love feels so caged and constricted in the boundaries that we have set. Love can mean only what the words in the dictionary describes it as. We have gone on to measure love. How much do you love me? How do you measure a feeling?
In our understanding, right from the poets, writers have painted love according to the way we have understood. We have attached love with certain actions. If someone is in love, that individual ought to do certain things to prove it. If either of them falters, then it’s a failure in love or, they betrayed love itself.
Let’s think over it. Why is love being made a prisoner of our thoughts and words? According to me love is much bigger and to understand it in one’s own lifetime may not be enough. Love is magnanimous, and it embraces the entire universe. Love falters when we attach expectations to it.
When we go on the search for love, we have already made a mental map of the things we want from, in a relationship. Now, there enters ‘want’; followed by ‘needs’ and so on and so forth. We have seen jealousy, pride, ego and even revenge due to this love. Sure, why not? Since, so much is at stake. Love is seen as a trophy or a gamble, to be won. How we have defeated love and its purpose.
Love is much bigger and out of our ambit of understanding. We do not see the bigger canvas that love has for us. We are so involved with the micro world around us, and also have skewed vision. We seemed to have failed a beautiful feeling called love. Only if we move away from our common definition of love, shall we see what love really means.
Love is beautiful, it enhances our feelings for each other, it makes us a better individual, it teaches us to rise beyond and elevate ourselves to a higher plane. We have to see away from what we have always seen. Not everything we have done it the correct way and revisit the altar of love.
Love is all there is. This feeling is pervasive and all encompassing. Let love prevail and make this celestial space more beautiful.
Amitav Chowdhury 