What is love? This is not a definitive stance on the subject, but a single sitting meditation. I'm not sure where it'll go. I'm just going to let my mind wonder. These posts are more practice than anything. I consistently come across Eric Ericsson's research on experts and his idea of 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. Wiki that shit. Its interesting.
So, love? What is it? Well, I think its an emotion. I think its grossly simplified. I think its simplification is maybe the greatest cause for mankind's suffering. Melodramatic? Yeah, maybe a little.
So how should one even broach this massive and intimidating subject? I think I'll start from an evolutionary standpoint and work from there.
Pop neurology claims that the serotonin and dopmine interaction that causes love is triggered differently for men and women. This pop science, and I say pop science because I've seen it on memes, and if its on a meme, well...this pop science claims that men experience this mixture of neurochemicals only when they look at their genetic offspring. Women however experience this cocktail whenever they make love and also when they give birth. If this is true, it offers an intuitive understanding of the darwinistic application of love.
Also, I remember hearing that there is a genetic mutation in a small percentage of women were this does not occur, meaning to say they experience the love chemicals as men do. "Lucky them'" I imagine many women thinking.
So from this perspective, love is an evolutionarily nurtured phenomena that causes women to follow men who will protect them while caring for their offspring, and that causes men to care for their offspring. It seems slightly cruel of nature to develop love this way. I imagine it would be equally beneficial for men to love their wives, but as I write that sentence, I am already forming a rebuttal. Scientists believe that all of us descended from a population of roughly 1000 humans. If this is the case, it would have been beneficial for the men to get their genetic material in as many lovely ladies as possible. (Check out Coolidge effect)
However, this idea of love appeals to few. Love is almost a magical word. Some boys learn of its power early and break a few hearts. Some women have such a skewed sense of the word they end up broken hearted, mentally altered, and with cats. So many cats.
Where to go from here, I don't know. I could go the route of love being a manufactured fantasy by companies to create an unhappy populace which will in turn fill that void with things those companies happen to make. Maybe another time.
Maybe I'll go a little poetic.
God is playing a game with herself. God chose to divide into billions of separate pieces. A cosmic hide and seek. The only way to find herself through the multiple dimensions is love. Love is the momentary realization between seemingly separate consciousnesses that they are one. We are not we but I. I am me experiencing myself. Love is the tool which allows for this understanding.
Far out dude...
In everyday language, I think Love has distinct categories. Love is not an all or nothing emotion. Those who view it this way are choosing to suffer. Love also has stages. There are surely as many as you care to create, but for me there are a few major kinds.
We've got family love, friendship love, humanitarian love, and romantic love.
Romantic love has stages. Understand this point. Unless the fairytale ended in the death of all parties involved, it is not a true ending. Romantic love has that indescribable bliss period. Nothing matters but them. This is mankind's most beautiful exercise in attempting to forget the guaranteed kiss from death. It ends. Humans have a wonderfully tragic adaption mechanism in the brain that causes this. Without ruining your night, long lasting love hinges on both understanding that this bliss period will end, and also having an active pursuit of keeping the metaphoric flame alive. Add spontaneity to the relationship. Avoid patterns.
But seriously, what the fuck do I know, I've been single for years.
(Genetically mutated ladies...message me.)
Jokes aside, this is an importent aspect of our lives. This post fails in every regard to address the larger issues and seriousness of what love is and causes. Maybe I'll have a better grasp of the concept once I've experienced it more passionately.