Six truths about Love

The First one is a warning. Human beings need Love. Without it they die. Solitary people without Love are three to five times more likely to die early! Match this with plummeting birth rates in many Western countries and major increases in the number of people living alone, and you’ve got to say that the world needs a lot more loving in it.

Next, comes a definition. Love means more than liking a lot. We are not talking affection plus. Love is about a profound sense of attachment. Want a really great metaphor? When researchers at Emory University in Atlanta track brain processes through scans, they can see different areas of the brain light up as they are engaged. How about that? We literally light up! If you want a definition of Love, that’s not a bad one.

Third, Love is about responding, about delicate, intuitive sensing. Love is always two-way. When it is not, it cannot live up to the name Love. Some people will always be better at it than others, but we all have the capacity and need for Love.

Our Fourth truth concerns who and what we love. Everyone knows about the glories of romantic Love, but let’s not foregt the Love between couples who have been together for years, Love within families, the Love of close friends – very different relationships that join the experiences we love. For me, it’s Bruce Springsteen concerts, Saturday nights, and a cold Becks beer. Whatever turns you on.

Fifth, Love takes time. The skill of responding to the emotional rhythms of Love takes an investment of years. Love has history. Loves gives us meaning and makes us who we are.

Finally, and perhaps most profoundly, Love cannot be commanded or demanded. It can only be given. Like power, you get Love by giving it.

from Lovemarks – by Kevin Roberts