n“True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen.” (Francois de la Rouchefoucald)
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nThis week’s blog challenge asks whether we believe true love exists. To me, that’s like asking whether ghosts exist. I cannot discount the possibility, but I don’t think I can name too many instances of the all-consuming, unconditional love of which we all dream.
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nPerhaps true love isn’t a wholesale acceptance of another person; perhaps it has room for criticism. After all, no one knows your faults like the ones who loves you. After all, didn’t Westley love Buttercup regardless of her arrogance and shallowness? Catch this scene in The Princess Bride where Miracle Max tries to deny it. Perhaps that love in spite of your faults makes it “true love.”
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nAs opposed to false love, which we might otherwise label as infatuation or lust.
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nWhen we think of “true love,” we often assume romantic love. However, isn’t a parent’s love for his or her child also a variation of true love? Ignoring the aberrant instances of parents who commit heinous crimes against their children and the like, most parents love their children regardless of those children’s faults or what their children do. Such love is not necessarily uncritical, but it is unconditional.
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nPerhaps true love is simply unconditional #love. It need not have romantic overtones or application. My dog’s love for me is true and simple love. My cats … well, they’re fond of me, but I couldn’t state with any certainty that they love me. I love my husband, children, parents, and siblings, although I am very much aware of their faults as they are aware of mine.
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nSo, yes, I’d have to say that true love exists. It’s just not blatant.n
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