The Why question and Definitions of Love

Most humans love to ask questions. It's part of being human, the desire to know. Of all questions (What, How, where, When, and Why), the Why is the most important. The others are just on the peripheral, acting like icing on the cake. The Why goes to the core of the matter. Some humans fail to see that or perhaps they are too smart to go there, like they don't want to know why and if there is a God, why humans are here on this planet, why we are born and thus have to struggle to live, and why there is love, including love for one's country, a love called patriotism.

Those who don't love their country hide behind a sophistical argument and shamelessly put up a face-saving line of reasoning along the lines of "Who are you to question my patriotism? I don't have to explain and account to you my feelings about my country." Fair enough statements, but we look at their daily behavior and their obscene love of power and their obsession to stay alive at any costs and we know why. On the other hand, we look at the behavior of brave and true patriots like Father Nguyen Van Ly and Le Thi Cong Nhan (she was just arrested again) and we know why, too, and we take off our hats to salute them in respect and admiration while wishing we had their courage and their wonderful love for Vietnam. True love always involves giving and sacrifices. Selfish people don't know how to love.

I am a coward. I freely admit that without being coerced. I don't have much love inside me for my country of birth. I talk a good game, but I am scared inside. So, you can say I am a hypocrite, too. No surprise there. Cowardice and hypocrisy go hand in hand. The only love I know something about is romantic love. As a man who has achieved incredible highs and indescribable lows because of love, I have been keen on collecting the definitions of love in the course of my reading. I don't go near a book of quotations to look for memorable definitions or bons mots on love. That would be too crass and mercantile and too easy to me. I rely on chance encounters.

Love is an involuntary reflex. And I fell victim to it.

Love is like the lightning, and your maturity is signaled by the extent to which you can accept the dangers and the power and the beauty of love.

I thought I was through with love.
But love kept hunting me down.
Yesterday a feeling was turning true.
The feeling was you.

Yeu em nhu yeu lan dau
Yeu em nhieu de yeu thuong dai lau

You think I am falling in love with you?
Be real. Dream on. I would not love you even if my life depended on it.

Love is like money. It is only important when you need it.

We can pretty much tell about a person by the way he views love. Somebody can talk about love all his life, but would know nothing about love even if it hits him on the head with a 2 by 4. Somebody else can't help falling in love, over and over again.