Love is when you don’t have to be with another person to touch their heart! – Torquato Tasso
Nearly everyone loves the concept of Justice. The image, of the scales held high in one hand, the sword in the other, is nearly universal. Do you feel Justice touch your heart?
What does that mean?
Most of us have been there. Even if it is from loss, perhaps the passing of a beloved grandparent, we feel them in our heart, even though they are not there. While this quote is most likely about a romantic love, I believe that this property can be found in nearly every type of love.
Love of freedom, love of country, love of your family, love for a brother or sister, love for your friends. All have something in common, you miss them when they are not there, whether it is they or you who are absent, there is a longing, a touching of your heart.
They can also, especially in absence, be a comfort, touching your heart. On a long trip, on a rainy day, after an argument or disagreement. Even in absence, you know that the love is there. To me, that is the heart of the quote, that feeling that never leaves you, no matter what is happening or where you are.
Why is the concept of unrequited love important?
One type of love to consider is that of unrequited love. This can be a difficult thing to understand at first, but consider this; if you love freedom or justice, do they love you back? Is your love for these ideals any less strong for their non-reciprocation?
Again, the quote is from a poet famous for writing about love, so it is almost certainly in reference to romantic love. And again, I believe that it has a much broader application. We’ve all probably had some experience with unrequited love, even if only as teens with a crush on someone, right?
While most people will think of unrequited love as a one-to-one relationship (or should that be one-to-none?), I believe it can also be in a one-to-many relationship. Consider those who willingly place themselves in danger for strangers, be it police or fire or rescue personnel.
They would appear to have a love for their fellow humans, whether they are loved back or not. And in return, if one has ever helped you, you will have a form of love for them as well. And not necessarily for that one person in specific, but often for anyone in that profession.
Where can I apply this in my life?
Think for a moment about the people in your life for whom you feel love. Not just the romantic love, but other types of love. Try to direct your focus specifically on those who won’t (or don’t) love you back. This could be because they don’t know you love them, or because you love all of humanity, of which they are a part.
Once you’ve run through that part of your life, try to come up with people, as individuals or as groups, who love you (either you specifically, or you as a member of a group), but you don’t necessarily love them back. Take a few moments and consider all the people who go out of their way to make sure you are safe and comfortable, by going into unsafe or uncomfortable situations.
One final group to add to your growing list, the love of ideals or concepts. Most people will say they love justice, even if they might not agree on what exactly justice implies. What other ideals or concepts do you have a love for? That list could be kind of long, so just get a few down to help you get a feel for other kinds of love.
Think about what you have just explored. Did you feel any of the love you held for others, or that others held for you? What about the love for an ideal or a concept? Did thinking of them touch your heart as well? Perhaps not as much as your first crush from back in school, but a little bit, right?
Personally, being old fashioned, I think loving someone or something that cannot or will not love you back is a part of life. We don’t always get what our heart desires, so what are we then to do? Do we cut that love out of our lives, and with it a part of our heart? Or do we continue to love them, to care for and about them? I prefer to keep my heart whole.
There are other things you can do, to connect with those things you love which may not love you. Say thanks to a representative of the group, or smile, or donate to a charity they sponsor. Participate in a fundraiser for those left behind by those who have been seriously injured or killed in their love of duty and of you.
Then there is the aspect of love closest to the quote. The mutual love of another. Never take that for granted. Take the time to be with them and meet their needs, not just yours. Love can be, simultaneously, both the most resilient and the most fragile of things.
Take care of yourself, and take care of others. Show them your love in the way that they appreciate and understand, which may be different from yours.
From: Twitter, @LargerThanWords
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/t/torquatota205353.html
Photo by m.gifford
Happy Birthday to the one-time King of the Poets, Torquato Tasso, born 11 March, 1544.
