by Rick London
It seems like we almost all are curious about the topic. Love is one of those few nouns that expresses something intangible. In the case of romantic love it is something we feel with our significant other, but, still, it is intangible. It has no color, no flavor, and no texture, unlike a home or lawn mower. The ancient love poets and philosophers and even current literary giants have taken a stab at describing what this mysterious noun means, and though many come close, still, until one has been in it, that is love, more than just the words are only words that are interpretations written by masterful writers. Some of them may or may not have experienced love, though we so much enjoy their poetry and muse.
One of Dr. Seuss’ most famous quotes is about love. He said, “When you are in Love you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.”
The great Sufi master and poet Rumi gave a caveat to others who were or are in observation of the lovers; Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone sober will worry about events going badly. Let the lover be. Obviously it was meant as a warning that this thing called love can be quite intoxicating and the person or persons in love should be left to their devices. In a way, Rumi is giving a fair warning to others. That those not in love should not show envy or try to interfere with the Lovers. (Rumi: The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing
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In many of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quotes, he talks about love and those trying to interfere with it or drive wedges out of envy or hate. He is saying that nature (which he often capitalized with an N or in quotes (Nature) is at one with God as are we (humans). So interference is based on ego, and, ego has never won over nature, because nature has God behind it. He doesn’t come out and say this, he leaves it to the discretion of his readers, but it becomes a very clear thread in the theme of his famous quotes. It is almost a Love conquers all theme in that, how can it not? Love is simply a part of nature as is everything and everyone else; and only ego can try to interfere with it, and ego always loses in the end (if it is up against nature).
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Ralph Waldo Emerson who was keenly aware of love and the human connection with nature and this is reflected in one of his more famous quotes. Everything in nature contains all the power of nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff. Even given Emerson’s brilliant observance of human behavior and fascinating theories of how the universe works, he had a childlike fascination with nature and it reflects in all his quotes regarding it. The theme of Emerson’s famous nature quotes is that we, as human beings, are not separate from nature, and to develop a faith, one must first develop a love and/or devotion to (outer nature) such as trees, flowers, animals, etc. Nature imparts a very telling secret; we are a part of it.
Even Voltaire echoed Emerson’s sentiments about love with Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. Notice Voltaire, also capitalizes the N in Nature; as he considered it, like Emerson, one of God’s greatest creation, if not the greatest, since it included the love of humans towards other humans.
This month I turned fifty-five. Though I was taught many of these famous love quotations in my early days of college, they really meant nothing to me, as, I didn’t think they pertained to me. I was still finding myself, as were many of my peers, and in that self-absorption of finding oneself, there is not a lot of room for real love; but, plenty of room for ego. That is what I had and projected. Arrogance is just a small blip on the r screen that can be noisy, by talking the talk, but not walking the walk which clearly becomes evident.
In my lifetime, I have been blessed to experience the give and take of real love with my finance Lee Hiller, who, like me, walked many similar paths in her early life in search of self and a love relationship. Ironically, we were both ready for real love at the same time; and we are both very grateful.
About the Author:
Rick London is a freelance writer and the founder of Shoes That Amuse, the world’s only shoes that contain
famous love quotations and graphics of the famous person who penned it
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