Sunday, May 27, 2012

Love is a Concept of Convenience


When a man is interested in a woman why does she play hard to get? Is it because people prefer things that they have worked for rather than things they have got so easily? And is chasing after a woman really worth it? If it is worth it, does it mean that then love is at play? The more one gets deeper into thinking about these questions the  more you get confused given it is not clear what we mean by love; and whether this lack of a clear definition and understanding of love throws doubt into the subject of its existence.
Love has no an acclaimed universal definition. How we have experienced, perceived or conceptualized love and what it represents to us is relative and differs from one person to another and from one context to another. However, in all different discussion of what love is, it emerges that it has to do with feelings.
In proposing my views on what might be the definition of love, I would begin by saying that love exists, but only as an abstract concept outside us. It only jumps into life and becomes real when human beings with feelings and emotions and need to belong come into a mutual coexistence where they share the bond of feelings and acceptance that attracts them to rely on each other for happiness and emotional satisfaction and security.However, this view only make sense when we depart from the abstract sense to its concrete form when individuals feel each other.

Thus love to me is a concept of convenience.Why?Firstly,every man and woman has a preconceived idea of the kind of person they want to relate with, be intimate with, have good time with, depend on emotionally and materially and feel appreciated, cared for and wanted and perhaps live with. All this desire that we put into that idealized situation when we should be happy and life should be sheer fun, full of charm and glamour by virtue of this one amazing person who makes our world stop and turn around  forms the basis of what is the best for us. According to the Long man English dictionary, the ideas of what is best for one form the basis the term convenience.
As a consequence of this preconceived ideas that forms our dreams and expectations, we go out meeting people and judge them to find out that person who, based what they have and are, meet our already formed criteria of who they should be and what they should have. These preconceptions are deeply buried in our subconscious we barely take note of their continued existence and operation in our lives but they are there sorting, classifying and judging. At the same time, during our interactions, the people we meet are always making a statement of themselves though unconsciously in their talk, attitude, beliefs, dressing style, educational, social and economic achievement and class and physique. The hallmark of these aspects which form the people personality is projected into our minds and then is interpreted on the basis of the ideas we already want. When these projections are not concurrent with our desires and idea of what is the best for us. These people are rejected and that is why women and men alike are not falling in love everyday though they meet many people who are great in many ways.

However, when the right person comes along, what they project is taken in, analyzed and readily accepted. Given the person has what we desire in a ,then it seems we are operating on the same frequency and so we connect, that is get attracted to the person through appreciation and desire to have them in our lives. This connection embodies the acceptance of the other person hence a strong feeling of attraction to the other. Thus we desire and want to be with the person because we like them and feel special bonding. It is this connection, acceptance and liking that now combines to form that wonderful feeling of an involuntary attachment to their person such that make us feel nice and elated. But even so choice comes into play as we decide whether to make the connection mutual by letting the other know that we have connected with them and make them too get connected with us. When the connection becomes mutual the love ceases to be an abstract term and become real though we cannot touch it but many would profess the feel it.

However, this definition might seem so idealistic in a world where our perceived world and the real world are incompletely incongruous. The building up of the idea of what one’s life should be is in itself an idealization. The preconception of what is the best for one such as a lot of love, happiness, peace and tranquility in a stable relationship is an ideal construct.However, these ideals we prop up do not last when we get into the real world where different forces in life pull heart breaking stunts on us we get disappointed and disillusioned. But the good news is that people adjust in all situations. Thus in the real world we would still judge things base on our ideals but we settle for that which is still the best for us though not the actual thing we ever dreamt of. We go for that which will work for us.Unfortunately,some people never accept the reality and learn to live within the limitations of the real world where the interplay of so many factors makes it hard to find that which we ever wanted.Such individuals get tired with waiting for that which they cannot find and they conclude that love does not exist.

Most of the time we go for people who share a lot of things with us. These are people in who, like the mirror, we see the reflections of ourselves in them. Before we find these people love is there but only it exists outside us but once we find that person whom we want and have connected and decided to be with them, then love is conceived in us
This is how I see love to be. How is it for you?

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