To the editor,
Recently I saw some graffiti on a fence on Bruce Avenue and it said “[expletive] love” and I was a little disappointed but not surprised. Since the so-called generation of love from the 1960s and the modern society of the self, love as we call it has been eroding. Love has been misunderstood, abused, misplaced, and forgotten. This is because love has lost form, strength, romanticism, passion, purity, promise, meaning, longevity and balance.
In the end love is an emotion and it is up to us in how we form and apply it. Where your focus is in life is where your emotional weight is and all emotions are related to some form of love. If one is too materialistic, prideful, lustful, or self-ambitious one has little emotional weight for others beyond this obsession making love shallow and too conditional. It is good to love oneself but too much of a self-centred attitude leaves little room for creating meaningful and long-lasting relationships.
The more divisions and indifference society has the more depression and mental illness abound. Love and emotions were meant to be expressed between meaningful pure relationships. The more emotions are trapped inside the more they become heavy, heated and distorted.
Humans were meant to be friendly, creative, romantic and giving people transcending the mere survivalist mode of life thus giving love a more eternal and spiritual value.
Holden Southward, Nanaimo
