Article by Dr. Michelle Kmiec

We all love someone or something. Whether it’s our significant other, family, friends, pets, or even our material things, including money (whether we have it or not). We use the word “love” in casual conversation.  “Hey! I love ya!”  We even proclaim love where no love exists. Perhaps we do this because we believe that it makes us look good in the eyes of others since many put more weight on words than on actions. Or perhaps this is our attempt at reaching for what our hearts yearn for most in a material-driven world.

What we consider love can spark a myriad of other emotions, including those that lie on the darkest side of ourselves. Wars have been fought in the name of love, whether the love of another person or the love of our God over your God. This sparks a profound question—is it possible that true love in its purest form can spawn opposite emotions which in turn can drive us to kill, in the name of love?

How is it possible that those who we proclaim to “love” are the ones we can hurt the most? Can this truly be love?

And mind you, there is no evidence, other than how we feel, that love even exists, even though this immense power that we call love can drive all of our actions.

Love is not a tangible thing that we can just set aside whenever we choose, though many of us surely try hard to do so.  We often convince ourselves that we must follow our heads rather than our hearts because we all know the heart is rarely practical.

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