by Anita S. Lane
Recently my husband and I went to see the movie, Hitch. When the movie ended the audience erupted in applause. I was surprised, but I too joined in. It is my inclination to applaud after a great film, but this is an act I typically reserve for viewing movies at home with my young children.
Whether we realized it or not, those of us viewing this movie chose to applaud in a dark movie theater before an inanimate screen where the actors are who knows where, and totally unable to hear or see our vote of confidence. What is it that would cause young, old, black, white, male, female, Asian, Latino, wealthy and working class to all join in unified applause? My guess is that it is the universal theme of love.
Since the beginning of time love has been the great equalizer among people. People on the seven different continents may spell it, say it and pronounce it differently, but we all feel love the same way.
It’s my speculation that majority of the audience was reminded of that special love after watching this film. Opening Valentine’s Day weekend, Hitch was released to capitalize on the holiday dedicated to love. The movie stars actors Will Smith, Eva Mendez and Kevin James, and is about a Date Doctor who helps nice guys woo the girl of their dreams.
Like Hitch, the original St. Valentine helped couples literally get “hitched.” As the legend goes, St. Valentine was a priest in third century Rome who performed secret marriage ceremonies for young soldiers and their brides because the Emperor had outlawed marriage under the premise that unmarried men made better soldiers. St. Valentine was ultimately put to death, but not before writing a letter to the young girl who visited him while he was in prison, and with whom he’d fallen in love. He signed the letter, “From your Valentine,” which we still say today.
So what is it about love that everybody loves? Well, true love is unconditional—it’s kind, gentle, forgiving, faithful, patient, hopeful, endearing and enduring. Love defers to others and it never gives up.
According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word Love means a deep, tender, ineffable [indescribable] feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
It is this indescribable love that makes you feel like you can fly, climb the highest mountain, swim the widest ocean, and achieve your wildest dreams. The genuine love received from another person makes you feel good about yourself and has enormous power to help you accomplish things you never thought you would.
The best part about love is that we each have the capacity to give and receive it. As children of the creator who IS love, to love is as much a part of our nature as breathing. It’s just that we have to put forth some effort to get it “just right.” Yea, it’s work, but it’s worth it.
So as we celebrate Valentine’s Day may it remind us of the power of love—the power of love to uplift, ignite and transform. This view of love must have inspired the songwriter who wrote the lyrics “what the world needs now is love, sweet love…” Love truly is what the world needs.
Giving and receiving love makes us happier, better people. Deep down we know that and that's why we desire it. It doesn’t matter who you are or what culture you come from, everybody loves love.
Copyright ©2005 by Anita S. Lane
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