Love makes the world go 'round

As the only (admittedly) estrogen-based columnist in the weekly line-up, I decided to tackle the big VD-related issue. No, I am not talking about the clap or anything, though it might burn as an unfortunate result. I’m referring to the ever-so-marketable appeal of Valentine’s Day. OK, so it’s not really an issue, per se, but it masks a very crucial element of life.

While the Hallmark holiday came and went yesterday, I opted to take neither the role of the hopeless romantic nor the bitter femme fatale in my observance. I left my candied hearts and lead pipe at home. This year I’m impartial to the whole event. I decided to take a break from (romantic) love because my past faucets of love have left me drained. And temporarily, I don’t give a flying cupid.

In renaissance poetry, love was the name that referred to cupid. Some little dude shooting arrows into your eyelids…how dreamy. As an English major, I have been brainwashed to analyze and find meaning in everything. Did you know there’s more to a box of cheerios than meets the eye? It represents a society where…wait, I’m going off topic… next time.

Back to the VD relationship: as I began to think about Valentine’s Day, and dare I say it — love — (large gasp from the peanut gallery) a conversation I had last quarter with Linda, one of my most passionate friends, came to mind.

It was one of those late night conversations where sincerity and emotion were the driving factors. After voodoo-ing our heartbreakers (of the time) we began to discuss love in a social context over a personal one.

Love is an emotion felt by every living person. On the personal level, it is such a precise and ever-changing emotion that it isn’t accurately defined even in the dictionary. Guess you just can’t put a stamp on that one. One day it’s heavy, the next day it’s fleeting.

Love is unwillingly linked to the five universal emotions: anger, apprehension, confusion, sadness and happiness. You can’t have love without these emotions, and you can’t have these emotions without love. Psycho and sociological, but it’s not rocket science.

But where would we be without this enamor? Without this heart-wrenching, soul-tearing emotion? A world without love would be like sledding without snow, fish without water, Springsteen without the E-street. Abnormal, unimaginable and groundless.

Perhaps in some cultures on the other side of the word, hidden by overgrowth, pollution and life’s unsolved mysteries, love might not exist. But for the society in which we live today, we would be a scary robotic clan of numbers and colors.

There would be no history, no books, no movies, no scandals. No peace, no hope, no raindrops on roses. There would be no country songs or inspiration for young poets. The radio would be static, cable would be boring and life as we know it would not exist.

In fact, there would be no life. There would be no you, me or the guy who sells soap and manure off of State Route 32. If moms hadn’t at one point fallen in love (or lust, same difference right?) with dads, very few of us would be here. Love, whether romantic, physical, unconditional, psychotic, financial, unreciprocated, etc., is the supreme force.

Petrarch, Shakespeare, Spenser and Burnhardt would have nothing to sonnet about. Billy Ray Cyrus, Frank Sinatra and Cyndi Lauper would have nothing to sing about. Hallmark, Gibson and Cornwell would have nothing to market. Reiner, Marshall and Howard would have no premise to direct movies about. You get my point.

And though love bleeds, bites, stinks and whatever else eighties hair bands have to say, it is the foundation for where we are today. As long as the sun rises and the band plays on, love will rear its confusing head. EMBRACE THE EMOTION! Give love or be loved. Be happy, starry-eyed, vengeful, guilty, jealous, outraged, etc. It’s creative inspiration and makes for good tabloid scandal.

—Gross can be reached at Lauren.gross@ohiou.edu