 | ||||
| I saw the above image, and my understanding differed. What follows is my reflection. |
Love can be conveyed in many ways. Deed and word are generally the two categories in to which all forms of its expression are arranged. Love is either felt or it isn't. It can be communicated effectively or ineffectively, recognized or overlooked, and appreciated or taken for granted.
Sometimes it may be difficult for us to accept love from others. We may feel that we do not deserve it. Maybe we prefer it from one person rather than another. Sometimes we are unable to recognize that a particular gesture was performed out of love. Sometimes we simply fail to appreciate the love that is shown us.
Despite life's challenges and disappointments, which may occasionally lead us to question the presence of love, there is quite a lot of it to be had. It is actually fairly abundant. Love is always around, like the air we breath. We inhale and exhale, taking deep or shallow breaths. We can hold our breath, in a stubborn attempt to deny it, only to find ourselves gasping for it at long last. How we are influenced by love corresponds to just how open and responsive we are to the deeds and words that convey it.
Deeds seem to stimulate a stronger sense of feeling loved. Acts of compassion, kindness, service, and other overt physical displays of affection can be quite dramatic and impactful. Such expressions are more observable and so deeds are often lauded as the more preferred or sincere method for the expression of a person's love. Words of love, on the other hand, are often trivialized. I wonder, however, if there are two star-crossed lovers, on opposite sides of an ocean, are their words not sufficient for expressing their love to one another? It is said that action speaks louder than words, but in such an instance the two are not so different from one-another. The words shared between the two lovers are the deed. To me, the aforementioned adage is limiting. It conveys that only a love of a certain kind—according to how one might prefer it packaged & presented—will suffice. There are so many ways to express love.
Sometimes it may be difficult for us to accept love from others. We may feel that we do not deserve it. Maybe we prefer it from one person rather than another. Sometimes we are unable to recognize that a particular gesture was performed out of love. Sometimes we simply fail to appreciate the love that is shown us.
Despite life's challenges and disappointments, which may occasionally lead us to question the presence of love, there is quite a lot of it to be had. It is actually fairly abundant. Love is always around, like the air we breath. We inhale and exhale, taking deep or shallow breaths. We can hold our breath, in a stubborn attempt to deny it, only to find ourselves gasping for it at long last. How we are influenced by love corresponds to just how open and responsive we are to the deeds and words that convey it.
Deeds seem to stimulate a stronger sense of feeling loved. Acts of compassion, kindness, service, and other overt physical displays of affection can be quite dramatic and impactful. Such expressions are more observable and so deeds are often lauded as the more preferred or sincere method for the expression of a person's love. Words of love, on the other hand, are often trivialized. I wonder, however, if there are two star-crossed lovers, on opposite sides of an ocean, are their words not sufficient for expressing their love to one another? It is said that action speaks louder than words, but in such an instance the two are not so different from one-another. The words shared between the two lovers are the deed. To me, the aforementioned adage is limiting. It conveys that only a love of a certain kind—according to how one might prefer it packaged & presented—will suffice. There are so many ways to express love.
What of the silent contentment, empathy or sympathy that is shared between family, friends, and lovers? Sometimes even silence—neither deed nor word—is just as effective. And, if the argument is that silence is in fact an action or deed than the same could be said of speaking words of love. So, if all are deed, then each have the capacity to meaningfully express love. What purpose does such a comparison serve other than to cast love as an object of contention? Surely love can be appreciated in all its manifestations.
No comments:
Post a Comment