|
“What do you think about the Israeli / AUC controversy?” |
What lies beyond attraction?
Love and relationships are issues that perplex people and
consume a lot of their time and thinking. People spend their whole lives
looking for love. Who doesn’t want to love and be loved? It’s
very hard for a person to find real love and sometimes it’s even
harder for people to believe that real love exists.
It’s because of this that some people compromise their beliefs and
settle down with anyone because they’re afraid there might not be
such a thing as real love. These people are enormously happy at the beginning
of their relationships. They hardly stop touching, flirting and looking
at each other. Sadly, the spark soon fades and leaves behind two people
who have absolutely nothing in common. So what happens then? Why does
their “love” end so fast? Or is it that they misunderstand
what love is and confuse it with physical attraction?
I don’t think many people understand what love is. There’s
a big difference between loving someone and being physically or sexually
attracted to someone. Sexual attraction happens quickly and ends soon
after the physical need is gratified. This is why a lot of people “hook-up”
and “break-up” at the drop of a hat, thinking that they were
in love before they even got the chance to really get to know each other.
Real love goes beyond physical attraction. It’s a special connection
between two people that gives them warmth even when they’re not
touching. This is the kind of love that enriches a person’s soul
and comes with feelings of safety, security and a great appreciation for
their partner’s very existence.
A great psychologist, Viktor Frankl, said, “Love entails relating
to another person as a spiritual being. Love involves understanding or
grasping the inner core of the personality of another person.” This
means that two people deeply in love communicate spiritually.
This kind of spiritual connection makes love strong and eternal because
you won’t find another person with the same spirit as your partner.
Because of this inner spirit, you continue to love your partner because
he/she makes you feel like no one else could. Couples like this argue
with each other, but never break up or lose that love because the connection
between them gives them a sense that they belong to each other and no
one else. It makes them certain that their relationship won’t end
for any reason. This kind of love, as Frankl explained, doesn’t
give jealousy the chance to appear because both partners accept each other
instead of possessing each other. This kind of love is not easy to find,
but if found, is very hard to lose.
Some people might think that it is illogical and unrealistic to believe
in such love or in such a connection between two people. They might think
it isn’t tangible and therefore hard to prove, but a person’s
faith in something should be strong even if it wasn’t proven by
intellectual means.
It’s blessing from God that people can have a partner on their journey
through life, someone they understand and believe in. Someone they spend
their lives supporting, loving and cherishing every second they spend
together. Someone who gives them a reason to fight for life.
