We often refer to love as being just a feeling, whilst actually LOVE IS ALSO A CHOICE. Independently from all the challenges and the flaws, regardless of sometimes the stagnancy of feelings and most importantly the “difference” of the other, we can still choose to love.
“Love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire” (Frankl V.E., Man’s Search for Meaning, 2006)
Dr. Viktor Frankl, the founder of Logotherapy, states: “Love is living the experience of another person in all his uniqueness and singularity” (V. Frankl, The Doctor and The Soul, 1986); this makes us revalue our perspective.
First, Love is not about “You” it is about “You” and “An-Other”. If this dynamic is not instilled, you cannot experience love in its completeness.
Second, when you love, you decide to look at the unique qualities of the “Other”; each person is unique and when you decide to love this uniqueness, the relationship is valuable and irreplaceable. Loving someone with the intentionality of changing her/him is not love; it is the demolishing of the uniqueness of the other person that in its core is the root of genuine love.
Third, authentic love goes beyond yourself; it is not self-centered but self-transcendent. It transcends the self toward a “significant other”.
Love is the highest value and as values are to be lived, “The Meaning of Love” is to experience it. Thus, it transcends the person into a meaningful and purposeful connection. It can be expressed and lived on three major levels: Human, Sub-Human, and Supra-Human.
• Human: It is the love towards yourself and towards another human being; be it a partner, family members, friends, a stranger, a co-worker, a role model, etc.
• Sub-Human: it represents the love towards other creatures be it animals or creations such as nature.
• Supra-Human: It is your love towards what we term in Logotherapy “The Ultimate Meaning”. It is your relationship with the creator or higher power and the way you decide to live this connection, be it in a religious or a secular or a spiritual way. Although supra-human love is intimate and personal, it flourishes its ways and fruits to the outside world.
Another truth about love is that “Love is more than an emotional condition; love is an intentional act”. (V. Frankl, The Doctor and The Soul, 1986).
Much as love is a choice and a connection, it is also an action that you decide to bring to reality on any of the three love levels; you can cook for your loved one, walk in the woods and experience the love with nature, work on a presentation from your heart and experience love in your work, you can pray and experience love with your creator.
Knowing the above facts, you can see how much life is rich and how it always offers you an opportunity to experience the value of love. It is not restricted to a specific sector or one corner of life. Each moment is an occasion for you to live one form or various forms of love.
How do you decide to experience love today?
