The magic of love

Love is a magic and it will always be so because love is life’s sweet mystery! It is the one emotion that has mystified everyone. Love can turn enemies into friends and friends into enemies. It is the one sentiment that has started as many wars as it has ended. It has more plays, songs and stories written about it than about anything else.

Love is the one emotion that people experience and express in different ways. For some love is sacred, unselfish and unconditional, and they believe that true love exists between family members, friends and between people and their deity. And for some others, love is present everywhere and it is extended to pets, and even inanimate objects, fictional characters and heroes dead and gone. For others, it is purely romantic or merely sexual. None of these people are totally right or wrong, but one thing is certain: love is the most powerful force in the entire universe.

As the world celebrates Valentine’s Day on February 14th and exchange cards, candies, gifts and flowers with their special “Valentine”, Professor Sherene Aftab in the cover story this month explains its origin, the way it is celebrated and even its misuses and abuses. She suggests to the readers innovative and meaningful ways of celebrating Valentine’s Day, with noble acts like: blood donation, care for a physically challenged, volunteer for a cause, etc.

There are different levels of love. The first in the list is our love for family members and siblings. The saying, “blood is thicker than water” perhaps comes from this family bond. The second significant level of love is friendship. We do feel genuine love towards our friends which sometimes can become very strong and intimate. The third level of love is the bond that brings a man and a woman together. This level marks the strongest of them all, which has been eulogized in literature by Homer, Shakespeare and others.

Being deeply loved by someone gives you courage, while loving someone deeply gives you strength. Your love for knowledge will give you great motivation to study and excel. Love for knowledge and studies are inevitably associated with your love for teachers, family and friends. The very thought that you are precious and dear to someone will be an energizing force within you. When you love someone or something sincerely and deeply you become mature with positive attitudes and it helps you build up great self-confidence. Hence, love every one selflessly and generously and let yourself be loved so that your life becomes a magic of love!