Star crossed, cursed, life-long, tragic, broken-hearts ... love has examples of all these and more! Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, is probably the most famous instance of the life and death intensity of love. Why do we place so much emphasis on love and what are the lessons we can learn in order to love better and potentially be loved more?
The Association for Psychological Science reported in 2013 that, 'doctors at Johns Hopkins University identified a rare but lethal heart condition caused by acute emotional distress. The problem is technically known as “stress cardiomyopathy,” but the press likes to call it “broken heart syndrome,” and medical professionals don’t object to the nickname!'
Typically this extreme emotional distress is the result of 'love thwarted', 'love spurned' or 'love judged'. Romeo & Juliet had to contend with the hatred between their respective families. John Lennon & Yoko Ono had to endure the backlash of supposedly breaking up the Beetles, Wallace Simpson & King Edward VIII were ostracised for being a divorcee and walking away from 'duty' respectively when they chose love, and Jack & Rose had to contend with a very large bloody iceberg for goodness sake! Talk about putting a barrier between two lovers :)
Speaking of icebergs (nice segue hey?) these high-profile examples are but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the agony and ecstasy associated with love in everyday life, and amongst the general population across the planet.
Can you make somebody love you? Or is love an action? A verb?
“However much you wanted someone to want you, there was nothing you could do to make it happen. Whatever you did for them, whatever you gave them, whatever you let them take, it could never be enough. Never enough to be sure. Never enough to satisfy them. Never enough to stop them walking away. Never enough to make them love you.”
― Manna Francis, First Against the Wall
If you love someone, show them you love them ... and do it with no expectation of reward, repayment or any desired outcome. Simply love. Being authentic and action-oriented increases your chances of finding someone to love AND someone who will love you (they will fall for the genuine person and you can just be you ... which takes a lot less energy than role playing to an audience).
This of course involves the risk of being hurt, rejected, or even taken advantage of. Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote, 'better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all'. Which makes perfect sense. Risk it for the biscuit!
It shouldn't come as any surprise that the last word on how to find love (or recognise it when it is right in front of you) should come from a cat ...
Comments