LOVE

The various faces of love are nothing short of wondrous: Love is an emotion, a mood. Love is a way of emoting, a way of thinking, a way of communicating, a way of smiling, a way of laughing, a way of crying, a way of giving, a way of receiving. Love is a way of showing gratitude. Love is a way of sacrificing. Love is a way of hugging and kissing. Love is a way of relating to nature and to nature's offspring.  Love is an intention. Love is a style. Love is an attitude toward yourself and others.  Love resides in your posture, in your gait, in your greetings and in your goodbyes. Love is in the caress of your finger tips, in the tone of your voice, in the light in your eyes, in the tear on your cheek, in the sweat on your lip, in the health of your body. Love is a first premise. Love is an organizing principle. Love is an energy. Love is a suffering-with. Love is a passion. Love is both a cause and an effect, a motivation and a goal.

Love is both complex and simple: love can inspire the human mind and spirit to rise to the very summit of their abilities, and - with equal dexterity - can compel one to live a life of utmost modesty and contentment. Love can move the heart to other-wordly bliss, but it can also cause it to plunge to the depths of hellish agony and despair. The many experiences of love are available to both the educated and uneducated, the rich and poor, the young and the old, the healthy and the sick. Love's presence and vitality are not bound by culture or historical context. Love is historically and culturally timeless and omnipresent.

Yet, despite humanity's vast and sundry experiences with love, "what love is" still remains one of the great philosophical mysteries. In the 4th century AD, Catholic Bishop, theologian, and philosopher St Augustine once said, when reflecting on the nature of time, something to the effect that, "If you ask me what time is, I know what it is. But if you ask me to "explain" what time is, then I don't know what it is. Might we say the same about love? Well, not in all cases. In addition to the many faces of love, we know, with certainty, that whatever love is, it's an absolute good and one of the priceless gifts of human existence. And, when it is all said and done, that's knowing quite a bit!

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