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.