The Power of: Part VI - Love

The power of love is a curious thing
make a one man weep, make another man sing
Change a hawk to a little white dove
more than a feeling that's the power of love

Tougher than diamonds, rich like cream
Stronger and harder than a bad girl's dream
make a bad one good make a wrong one right
power of love that keeps you home at night

First time you feel it, it might make you sad
Next time you feel it it might make you mad
But you'll be glad baby when you've found
that's the power makes the world go'round

You don't need money, don't take fame
Don't need no credit card to ride this train
It's strong and it's sudden and it's cruel sometimes
but it might just save your life
That's the power of love

They say that all in love is fair
yeah, but you don't care
But you know what to do
when it gets hold of you
and with a little help from above
you feel the power of love

- Huey Lewis and the News

Boy, this one's been done to death, has it not?

There is, however, a damned good reason for this.  This one, of course, is probably in the top three of all-time important powers, the Creme de la Creme, the Master Race of Powers.  Love can make you do stupid things, smart things, unusual things, amazing things, dumb things, incredible things...it's truly the Prince of Powers, of that you can be most certain.

We of the inferior human race...and, even more so, of the more inferior American race, are forgetting what Love is like.  This power is beginning to be a lost art.  I can point out some good reasons for this.

For one, we've chosen to abandon the Originator of Love.  The spring from whence the stuff flows.  The unconditional inventor of the stuff.  But we'll cover that in the next "Power Of" post, right?  You know from where I come.

Two, our propensity towards being alone.  Detaching ourselves.  Shutting out the rest of the Earth.  Nobody wants this; or at least, no one USED to want this.  Nobody used to want to be alone.  But see, there's a side effect to love that no one wants any more of; but unfortunately this emotion just seems to go hand in hand with Love..or at least it does more these days.  This is due to the fact that, not only is our view more skewed these days (which can, again, be attributed to our forgetting how to love, exactly); and therefore, because Love is becoming the lost art that it is, we have trouble teaching our offspring how to love properly as well.  That side effect is pain.  There's pain everywhere, and we want no more of it.  So, since we believe that to love means that we must, inevitably, experience pain, we would much rather skirt the emotion altogether, rather than hurt later.

This is a huge mistake America.  Love should not, will not, and CANNOT be avoided because we don't want to hurt.  Hurt is natural, hurt is out there.  But to hurt means that you will, eventually, learn to heal, and because of that, you'll learn to be a better human for it.  It's just a part of our existence.  There's no getting around it.  You're going to hurt, sometime and somewhere.  It's a part of this great thing called life.

Please, America, whatever you do, do NOT skirt love, or you'll forever forget how to love.  If you forever forget how to love, you'll never be completely human.  You can't forget how to love.  If you don't know how, learn.  Read the classics.  Watch some old romantic films.  Keep this ideal, this POWER, alive.  If we, the human race, forget how to love, or avoid it to avoid pain, we'll never accomplish the greatest thing this race has ever known.  Love.  Real, True, and Unconditional.  And if you can't seem to grasp the concept, I have an idea that might seem stupid, but is a tried and true way to relearn the love you've forgotten.  Get a puppy.  Adopt a kitten.  Share the birth of one of your grandchildren with your children.  You'll remember how to love really, truly, and unconditionally in no time, this I guarantee.  :D