Love is one of the most utilized yet misunderstood words in the human vocabulary. It is a word that brings ease and comfort to the suffering and great joy and happiness to those who are engaged in meaningful relationships. When uttered, it conjures a myriad of images and a plethora of varied understandings. It is defined by Webster’s as both a noun and verb, describing deep affection and extreme fondness. So what is it really and how did love come to be?
The Origins of Love
The first idea of love came into being about 200 million years ago when evidenced in the bonding between parents and their offspring, and later developed into a way to describe lustful, passionate and sensual desire or longing. Africans speak of Agape, which is defined as the highest form of love – charity and “the love of God and humans for each other.” Then there is philautia or self-love and philia, brotherly love, which both profess a deep and profound sacrificial love that transcends time and persists regardless of circumstances.
Love in the Bible
In the Bible, Corinthians 13, love is defined as patient and kind; not envious or boastful; not arrogant or rude; It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth; Love bears and endures all things, and love never ends.
Understanding Love
Understanding love in these varied yet poignant ways and knowing love as a word that names a set of behaviors and feelings that result in more peace and happiness in the world, should make us capable of “being love” or at least understanding how love works. By sacrificing of ourselves, showing compassion and care when needed, sharing what we have with others, being gracious, cherishing every moment of life, being honest with ourselves, and creating a bond with all living beings, we become capable of experiencing love, not with words, but with actions and that is the truth.