LOVE

Happy Valentines Day. 

ALSO KNOWN AS SINGLES AWARENESS DAY!!! : )

Yay.  Romance is in the air.  Kind of a ridiculous holiday, really.  Let's show our significant other how much we love them once a year.  Really?  The evolution of man is a false conspiracy to make intellectuals feel smarter.  Devolution is the reality here.  Now we have to be reminded of our capability of romance and Chivalry because some lonely guy got his head chopped off a thousand years ago.  Not cool at all.  I'm not only saying this out of the cynicism of my own singleness, but on behalf of all the hopeless romantics out there shaking their heads at the silliness of this hallmark holiday.
 
Moving forward, I figured the most suitable subject for this blog would be LOVE.  Love is the antidote for the poisoned minds of the bitter and broken hearted.  Love is the compass that explains the essence of my being.  Love is the answer to which I know that regardless of where we came from or how life began, that there is something greater, stronger, and way more powerful then the things we merely see with our eyes.  Love is an expression that we should all show no matter what day of the year it is.  Regardless of the who you are, every human being is hardwired with the consciousness of Love's existence.  Sadly, not everyone has experienced it but they are as sure as the sunlight that it's present.

THREE TYPES OF LOVE

1. EROS (conditional love)
Ahhh, yes.  The mushy, gushy kind of love that so many people dream of.  This is the most commonly defined type of love between two individuals.  It's romantic, erotic, (notice the correlation between 'eros' and 'erotic'?)  The type of love that is constructed not only by our emotions, but our very own physiology.  Hormones send off signals to the brain and these 'feelings' begin to emerge.  The heart, mind, and soul react.  Palms get sweaty, thoughts become jumbled, words become stuttered. Then either the wedding bells ring or the restraining orders are signed.  Either way, the romance is in the air.  It's a selfish kind of love.  Nothing wrong with this but one must be cautious.  It's as beautiful as the view from the highest mountain, but as dangerous as the fall if you step to close to the ledge.  Some of us are still falling.

2. PHILOS (Brotherly Love)

Compassion for your fellow man is hard to find when you have little compassion for yourself.  Philos love is found in the heart of loyalty and friendship.  It's the type of love that's built between neighbors, friends, co-workers, comrades, best friends.  To look out for one another.  To love someone as you love yourself.  Completely relational and rational in every way.

3. AGAPE (Unconditional)

The good stuff.  So completely unconditional and unwavering.  The only type of love that can be found through forgiveness, mercy, and grace.  To constantly put someone before yourself without wanting anything in return is the selfless act of Agape.  It's what happens when an unstoppable force hits an immovable object.  It's the type of love that is achieved by overcoming the barriers of hurt or rejection.  It's indestructible. 



  Love can be defined easily, but to accomplish any of these classifications takes work.  Throughout my travels I've met so many different types of people, but one thing does remain consistent.  The hurts, regrets, and heartaches all look the same.  Bitterness is a disease that hinders the ability to feel love.  To feel love, to have love, to know love is to know freedom.  To let go of the past and to know that there is nothing wrong with you.  The key to unlocking the spirit of any type of love is forgiveness.  The ability to let go.  I have several friends who are single this Valentines Day, and they hate it.  Listening to the lies of loneliness whispering in their ears. 

"Everyone else has someone to celebrate Valentines Day with."  Lies. 

"I'm still single.  There has to be something wrong with me." Lies. 

"I don't care, it's just a stupid holiday..."  Lies. 

Saying "I don't care...." is equivalent to saying "I don't want to hurt anymore."  You're single because you're single.  There may not be a deeper meaning to your self proclaimed plight.  So keep your chin up, put a big fat smile on your face, because right now....at this very moment, someone is thinking about you whether you like it or not.  Stop listening to your emotions and listen to your reality.  Someone out there loves you.  And even though you 'feel lonely' doesn't always mean you're alone.