The Other Four Letter Word

By: Andrea Edwards

            What’s behind that four letter word we throw around so frequently? Now before you get ahead of yourself, the four letter word that I’m referring to is love.  We hear it thrown around in movies all the time, and many of us whisper that sweet word on quite a regular basis.  But what does it really mean when you look at a significant other and utter the words I love you?  Are we saying it simply because it sounds good? Or perhaps because we ourselves want desperately to feel, and be a part of something we believe makes us complete?

            On a spiritual note, love is the “purposeful commitment to sacrificial action for another.” However, that’s not what we normally see in today’s society.  Often times, the love we’re accustom to seeing emphasize an emotional exchange that is not sacrificial by any means—but one which requires an exchange of action in order to maintain committed to.  We’ve become a society of addicts; dependent upon the feelings associated with love, rather than the actions necessary to maintain and grow a lasting union. 

            It’s not to say that those feelings we experience when we’re in love, is a bad thing.  What I’m saying is that a high like that can never be maintained—day-in and day-out.  It takes consistent action, selflessness, and commitment to keep the fire burning long after the initial euphoria of love subsides.  Love is a powerful force, which we all need and when applied correctly, love has the ability to transform and complete us; based upon our own actions, not someone else’s action.