Atiya Patel

Wmst 100

Summer 2006

Prof. Bredin

Web Essay #1

What is Love?

The word “Love” can mean so many things to so many different people. To me it is one of the most powerful feelings in the universe. Love is power, love is strength, and love is passion and submission amongst other things. Love can be found between mother and child, husband and wife, man and dog, sister and brother, teacher and student, child and teddy bear, the list goes on eternally. It is the power of love that we have epics and movies made that go way back in history. We as young children have love instilled in our hearts and minds. We are taught from early on that love is special and a goal that all must strive for. For example, the stories we read about Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White all teach young children, especially girls that love is the answer to all our problems. With these stories instilled in our minds, young girls grow up looking for prince charming and as we all know he doesn’t exist. However, love does exist. It is not always a Cinderella story, but it is extremely powerful. When a human being feels love for another human being the passion is so strong that one could die for the other. Love when shared by two individuals is very comforting and joyous; however when love goes wrong, the pain is so fierce and penetrates deep into ones heart that it is unbearable. That is the power of love; it is extreme in both sides. We all know the consequences of love going bad, but it never seems to cease anyone from searching for it.

How does one know what love is? It is a belief or feeling much like faith that is only felt by the individual who is in love. I have felt love in many different ways. When I was a young girl, I had a pet kitten named kitty. I loved that cat so much that I would make sure it was the first thing I saw every morning and the last thing I saw every night before I went to sleep. I loved that cat so much that I felt I would do anything for it, my mother thought I was crazy because I treated it as if it was my child. When the cat died, I was so horrified and the terror of its death remained with me till this day because I refuse to adapt another animal, so as not to go thru the pain again. Is this love? I think it is? Another personal example of love is when I met my husband. I was 25 and I married him when I was 30. I went thru so many horrific times with him that I hated him compassionately whenever I thought that we would not be together forever. I wanted to kill him or kill myself whenever we got into an argument. Sometimes, the pain was so unbearable, I would scream from the top of my lungs in the middle of the night to God. I would ask God to help me get rid of the pain I was feeling. I believe that pain was love. I loved that man so much that it hurt so badly. Another example of love is the pain I felt the day my father passed away. It was so immense that even though it was eight years ago, I can remember every second of that day, I can see everyone’s face in that room, I can hear all the crying voices in my head, and I can still see my father’s face as clearly as if it was yesterday. I “loved” him so much. The feeling I have in my heart for him today has not changed one bit even though he is physically not with me. This is the power of Love.

I don’t think that love is something one can deny or shy away from. It is too powerful for one to control. It is immersed into ones mind, body and soul. It is the greatest feeling one can have, and it can also be the most painful feeling one can ever encounter.