Defining Love

Salam..

This is another not-so-ordinary entry in this blog.. Nonetheless, humour me with this article and sing along with the lyrics mimicking the translation of how bored I am during this period of, what should be, break from my career life, or formally called 'annual leave'.. Despite my grimacing and sour complaining, I have to say, the first week of the break was remarkably tremendous.. Needless to say, it was the extended honeymoon and vacation to Barcelona.. Fellow readers can experience our stories and visits from our recent entries entitled 'Barcelona'..

Very well, there is a reason why this entry will stray away from the norm.. Unlike the ever-active mind of Ina's, despite being slightly dormant on the blogging side, she always has a story to tell.. On the other hand, my head is a can full of supercharged, highly flammable worms, which with the tiniest of catalyst in any direction, could explode with non-functional, erratic, burst of irrelevant ideas! Now, who keeps the can lid? The certain answer is Ina, my buffer and my phone line to the real world.. How she bears holding me is beyond explanation.. And I thank her for that.. One of the millions of reasons why I love her so much..

Lately, one theme seems to surface almost unexpectedly.. The theme of 'Love'.. I am not a big blog-reader myself, sadly but truthfully admitting, but the several ones that I have read recently had this topic as a discussion matter or an experience-based entry.. It has come to my attention, hence the catalyst for my worms, that probably the word and its definition have become virtually loosely-used over time.. And indeed, over and over again.. Well, let us go back to roots and basics.. Let us indulge ourselves to the truthful meaning of the word 'Love' and be reminded what it means to us all and to humanity as a whole..

Dictionary Definition

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness

2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair, the emotion of romance

3. A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction, beloved

These are some of dictionary definition of 'Love'.. In fact, all of them, and even if you search any other dictionary in any language, the definition of 'Love' is technically an attempt to define a feeling of fond affection.. Now, catch this - Even the most philosophical and linguistic attempt of defining 'Love' seems so far from the (I'm at lost of words!) intended description.. Not to mention, the 'meaning of love' varies from one person to the other..

Having seen and agreed on such basic level, that we all feel love and define love in our own separate way, despite the common theme of 'affection', I (for myself) have come to a general, yet arguably my best, conclusion that 'Love' is not definable in ANY word.. No offence to linguists and philosophers, and to writers and speakers who make a living from books and seminars on the 'basics of loving' under the name-tag of 'interpersonal relationship experts/advisors'.. As for me, despite my own stand that love is not definable by word, I do not envy those people who make their living through this theme.. In fact, I envy those linguists and philosophers who, with great detail and intellect, serve their lives to define and redefine the true meaning of this very special and heavenly feeling.. I envy those writers, authors and speakers who, with great charm and enthusiasm, devote their lives to help others understanding and practising this divine passion..



I wonder if my fellow readers are still in doubt of my stand, or even possibly disagree, that no word can define 'Love'.. If you disagree, then I would be so grateful to hear your definition of 'Love' that YOU feel adequate to your heart, that you feel will undoubtedly and wholly encompass your feelings in a sentence.. In fact, I may well challenge you to it!

The glorification of this feeling is such of a magnitude that, and hence my proof, great people began not to define 'Love', but attempt to materialise 'Love' in sentence and phrases, in the form of quotes and poetry..

Love, like a river, will cut a new path whenever it meets an obstacle..
(Crystal Middlemas)

You know you are in love, when you see the world in her eyes,
and her eyes everywhere in the world..
(David Levesque)

These are among the thousands and millions of quotes of mankind attempting to put in words the emotions of 'Love'.. Not to say that they fail to impress, but even so, with such meticulous choice of wordings, the quotes and poems still feel unable to grasp even the shadows of the true meanings of 'Love'.. I could list quotes after quotes, and poems after poems, of 'Love', but I feel it will never suffice to reach the feeling one is experiencing of it..

To dear fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, I have no reservations to remind you that the only way that we would ever define 'Love' is until we have a whole grasp and grip to these very words..

"None of you becomes a believer until I am dearer to him
than his children, his parents and all mankind.."
(As reported by Bukhari and Muslim)

"Tidak sempurna iman seseorang kamu sehinggalah dia sanggup menjadikan aku lebih dikasihi daripada dirinya, anaknya, hartanya dan manusia seluruhnya.."

And it is only after then that we will be able to fulfill the love for our loved ones in our hearts, when we know and realise the most basics and integral reason for loving another person - Loving in the name of Allah (God).. In fact, I cannot stress this enough.. It is actually and spiritually the confidence of love for God and from God that completes the feeling of love to other people - to your parents, your brothers and sisters, your wife and children.. That is the ultimate basis of truest love, unrestrained by doubt or fear, unintimidated or stirred by monetary inadequacy or difficult conflicts..

Conclusion

I have relentlessly laid the most arguable word of all time, 'Love', in a plate for you to debate among yourselves, with your spouse, and more importantly (for me) to debate the theme within yourself.. It may be a heavy enough push to urge you to have a think about this generic theme.. But I insist on attempting that.. Hopefully, by the end of your own debate session (either with yourself or with others), you will feel rejoiced and refreshed with your own new meaning and definition of this lovely feeling..

As for me, my definition and, indeed, materialisation of love is as simple as three letters...

INA

Salam..