Let me lay before you three simple, small words that mean a lifetime of commitments. At least, that’s what these words should mean, when strung together, but sadly in this advanced age of disconnection, those same three small words seem to mean less and less. Perhaps we may blame the ease in which these three words are batted about upon how quickly we fall in and out of a particular emotions, better still, we may place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the depictions found in novels or movies, or more over we may go as far as to say we base our understand of the words upon our restless natives, the animals. Whichever answer we choose, it remains that these three small words no longer carry the gravity and power they once held, the same power we once held dearly above anything else.
Being slightly cynical, I could easily make many a case for why these particular words lost their power over time, and honestly, it would be relatively simple. After all, it’s always easier to prove why something failed, then why it worked, but I choose not to believe in the loss of the power, only in our loss of understanding the single simple greatness in the words. I’m sure you’re wondering what the heck I’m talking about, after all, this would appear like rambling to many people. Let me lay them before you then: I. Love. You. See, three short, simple, single syllable words. Yet they are three small words holding a phenomenal power, a power so strong that it binds living souls together. Or, at least, they should.
The sad fact of the matter is this; these words are batted around too easily today. Carelessly we toss them about as if they were the days clothes being discarded to the laundry hamper or bedroom floor. This careless, haphazard use of the words has almost single handedly destroyed the great power that lies inside of them. We throw it into text messages and emails, pepper our songs and movie dialogue with it, and twist the meaning to fit our current needs. And what’s worse, we’ve abbreviated it, shorted an already short and simple sentence to a mix of letters or symbols.
Taking the words apart, piece by piece, I’ve managed to build a small foundation for what the words should mean. I, by definition, is the ego, or oneself. Simple enough, right? I mean, any 1st grader could tell you that. They could also tell you what You means, the second or other ego. Okay, so we’ve got, Ego doing something to another Ego. And what is that something? It’s the word Love. Now love can be defined a number of ways, from the sexual (which is really just lust) to the tender and romantic. It is with this word that I believe lies most of today’s problems. A simple sentence is built upon the other Ego’s understanding of the central and key word, and that one word has many direct and indirect meanings.
In the past, and I’m talking centuries ago, Love described the emotion that lifted us above the animals. We needed a word that was strong then care. Let’s face it, “I care for you” just doesn’t sound that romantic. So we created the word love, it sounds deeper, stronger, and quite frankly it sounds hella romantic. Over time though, as is the nature of humanity, we adapted the word to mean different things. A quick glance at the dictionary will confirm this. One definition says the word means intercourse, as in making love to someone, yet another describes it as the warmth one feels for another person. In this day and age we’ve even resorted to it being a bit of a lie to get us what we want. I mean, I’ve had people tell me on the first date they loved me (because I lust you just doesn’t quite do it, you know?). So, how is one to know what someone means when love itself means so many things?
The secret, I do believe, lies in communication. Through communication one can actually discover which meaning the person is trying to use. It could be as simple as how you stress it, when you use it, or how you write it. For example, between my friends and me, it’s a matter of how it is written at times. Let’s say you’re sending a text message (which is the way many people connect in this disconnected age) and send it “I luv u” or “I <3 U”. To me it’s the haphazard standard of love, or to put it bluntly, “I care for you, but not that much.” On the other hand, if you take the time to send the full phrase, it means you have a deep commitment to me as a person, as an individual, and as someone you deeply care for.
To others it’s strictly a matter of when you say. I mean, really, remember when you were a kid and “I love you, Mom” could get you out of almost any trouble? We hold onto that as adult and try to use it on the same level. My boyfriend and I rarely say it to each other (because honestly actions do speak louder than words), but when we do, it is deep and heartfelt. It’s an almost unspoken pact between us we won’t say it when we’re drunk, for we feel this may ruin the sacredness of the vow.
I honestly believe those three little words need to gain their power and authority back. No longer should we use them as haphazard send offs, or barely felt commitments. Instead, we should invest a bit of thought into how and when we say them, and quite a bit of thought into why we are saying them. And maybe, just maybe, if we all ban together and seek out what those three little words really mean, then maybe we will become connected again. After all, when you say “I love you,” you’re really saying, “You will always be with me.” One small little promise that may just change the world.
- Texas
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