Blogging Around: What Is Love?

 What is love? Do any of us really know? At sixteen, can we even claim to know the vast depths of a supposed emotion we have yet to admit exists? In Aaron Ach's blog, he posted about his ideals of love, concluding that all we really know about love is it's uncertainty. He explored the ideals of the topic itself, and questioned what it all meant. My response to his compelling blog is below.

Bravo, Aaron. You have taken one of the most complex ideas (especially at our age) and have been able to transform it into what it is--the joy in uncertainty. While I would agree that love itself rarely comes "wrapped in a bow" I do believe that the notion behind that idea is still necessary.
For many, the idea that love transcends any and everything is important, which is why I respect what you wrote all the more. I couldn't agree with you more--love is unpredictable and it's meaning will always continue to change.
As our lives change--as we ourselves change--so will the meaning of love.

A peer of mine, David Zakhodin, recently offered his opinion on the same subject. While I agreed almost 100% with Mr. Ach's blog, I found myself disagreeing continually with Mr. Zakhodin's take on the subject. Mr. Zakhodin concluded that if love is painful, it tends to be best to walk away. We simply need to look out for ourselves and realize that love is pain. While I agree with some of his ideals, I found myself disagreeing yet enjoying the majority of his blog. His intriguing post is below.

I really enjoyed reading your perspective on all of this, David. While I agree that love (if you believe it exists) is painful and unpredictable, I don't necessarily think we should handle the loss of it like the characters in "Once" and "Jane Eyre" do. Maybe it's just me, but if I ever fell in love, I don't think I'd be able to simply let them go. If you've given a person your love, heart and soul, how can you act like these characters and simply walk away? Don't get me wrong, walking away is sometimes necessary and is painful regardless of what end you're on, but could you really give up that which means the most to you?
"Love" is many things, but I don't think painful is one. I believe it's the absence of this hypothetical emotion that causes the pain we see all too often in movies. Your take on these pieces of art and "love" are very interesting, and I enjoyed getting to wrestle with them and contemplate them. Thank you, bravo.

Dialectics: The Matrix--Locating Love

The Matrix is based upon the concept of two worlds being able to co-exist with one another, or rather the clash between the "real" aspect to one another. In this film of opposites and contradictory sides, everything clashes and seems different. . . .Everything except for the concept of love.

While the movie portrays the idea of love as "lust" in the Matrix and "love" in the real world, both are portrayed in both worlds. The opposing concepts of "love only exists in an alternate universe" and "love exists all around us" are supposedly clashing, yet in this movie, they seem to gel together. The main character, Neo, falls in love with the woman who can transcend both words--and that gets to the core of my argument.

Love doesn't play by the rules, I think we've all learned that. And whether or not love exists is still a question up for grabs. But what we do know is that love supposedly can transcend all barriers, all worlds and nearly everything. It can turn even the coldest of hearts and become a companion to the lonely. The Matrix is all about pointing out the controversial differences and personal choices that one must make in their life, yet I don't think the minds behind this movie left the question of love up to us.

The minds behind the movie specifically leave the concept of love pretty vague and un-talked about, because love transcends even the most complicated of concepts. If anything can cross all boundaries and unite one another, it's love. Whether that be a love for ourselves, friends or even that special someone, love is able to go through boundaries and walls we never even knew existed.

So in a world of feuds and war-waging sides, it's important to remember one thing: whether we believe it or not, love will always locate us, no matter what direction or dimension we might currently be in.