Love: Emotion, Myth, and Metaphor

Love - our hearts yearn for it, we fall into it or out of it, we’ll do almost anything to attain and keep it. Those who have experienced the ‘power of love’ whirl from its embrace. It is delicious anguish, gut-wrenching pain, and intoxicating allure. Nations go to war over it, crimes are committed to satisfy its demands, lives are often ruined because of it, and extraordinary feats of courage and sacrifice are performed in its name. But beyond the clich??A?s and greeting card platitudes, do we really understand what love is, and how it alters the way we think, feel, and behave? Should love be viewed as little more than a lusty romp, or is there more to it?What is the relationship between love and romance, caring, concern, compassion, thoughtfulness, sex, and the many other components that our society jumbles together in this potent potpourri whose power can give strength to the weakest among us, or turn powerhouses of strength into emotional mush. It is precisely because love is such an important part of our lives that we owe it to ourselves to reach beyond overwhelming passion and the roadblocks of illusion to achieve real understanding of this extraordinary human phenomenon. It won’t always be easy - in fact, it’s sometimes quite painful. But the rewards are many for those who will risk exploring their own cherished attitudes about a subject that has held us in its grip for centuries and shows no signs of letting go.