What it means to love.

   "Sometimes you can't see what's coming until it actually does. People do things that don't make sense and you're just left tending to the wounds left of what once used to be. I am not gonna pretend to know why the universe sucks the way it does, why it robs you of the things that you love the most, but here's what I do know. The universe didn't rob me of you, you did. Your cowardice did and for that I have nobody but you to credit. Cowardice is a trait wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, 'cowardice' indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cowardice is known as a coward.

    In this case, it is you. You are the coward." 

    Love is a sacred emotion. You can try all you want to rationalise it, but it far exceeds the understandings of us mortals. Its what makes it so special and why to be truly loved is one of the best gifts anyone could ever ask for. Which is why you fight for it, without expecting anything, without knowing what the future may hold because life is never going to be the same without it. Once you find it, you fight till the end and you never let go because it is one of the few things worth holding onto. To love is to risk.

    You cannot quantify love which is what makes it so hard to keep. A smile, a gesture, a gift, a simple 'How are you?' are all forms of love, yet we as humans tend to muddle in the fine lines, the beauty of this undefined feeling. We choose to focus on the negatives, and in the process, fail to realise the underlying love that drove us to feel that way. In love, it is not the how much or what that counts. They say everything is fair in love and it is true; for love holds no grudges if the books don't tally. It never sees the world in binary; as a system of give and take. To love is to give.

    Love transcends time. It dwells in the present laying the foundation of an unshakeable future. In a time, where we have complicated life beyond measure, where time is evaluated in materialistic entities, love has lost its importance. Humanity fails to realise that it is important to slow down every once in a while and look around. Love isn't all about the ribbons and balloons, its about caring unconditionally, about rekindling a fire in the dead of winter, giving another person, a sense of belonging. To love is to belong.

    Love grows and with it, you. The very nature of love is to lift each other up, to be there for each other and to grow with every opportunity that life presents. It is a test of patience and resilience and a chance to become better than the person you were yesterday. To love is to grow.

    And as we learn to love, we learn to understand. We understand that life has so much more to offer than what meets the eye. We understand people and their stories. We empathise and gain perspectives to evaluate what were previously two dimensional situations. In that mutual understanding, lies the very essence of loving someone, because it feels good to share your life with them. To love is to share.

    And sure enough, love isn't a bed of roses. It comes with its thorns, the ones that hurt more than love itself. Loving someone means being vulnerable, being comfortable, being able to suffer in their pain, being able to celebrate their victories among many other things. This asks a lot from a person which is where most modern day relationships fail. We can't sustain a person's misery as we can their smile. Love demands you to stand firm, even if it is a losing battle and it asks of you to protect it. That is why love is intended to be selfless, a selfish act to only the person who gives; for he/she is willing to suffer to protect what is sacred. To love is to suffer.

    Love is beyond the constructs that we see as important. By virtue of it, to love is to lose. At some point in time, we love only to lose what we love. Love loses to time, to control, to pain, to fear and the list never ends. But the fact that you are capable of loving someone makes you worthy of being loved. We think of love as a promise to keep, as a future to build but we overlook the two things that matter the most. Ourselves and the present. As vast and endless as love can be, one needs to be capable of not just giving, growing and understanding but risking, belonging, suffering and losing to it. And the present cannot be decided on the promise of a future. Love in the now, and you shall love forever. Loss is inevitable but your love will be a testament of the mesmerising journey that love encompasses. To love is to lose.

    Love is a feeling that we can experience but never explain. In the face of adversity, it is important to stand your ground and fight for your love and to fight for what is worth it. When you love someone, you work it out. You don't just throw it away. You have to be careful with it, you might never get it again. I am fortunate enough to have built myself to be able to love. I know I will lose but it will never stop me, for this is what it means to love.