Brutality of the Goddess

i know it’s far from valentine’s day but for some reason, a friend of mine had this sudden inclination to talk about the most overused word and the most misunderstood one at that: love.

i was minding my own business and reading the latest issue of Time Magazine.  after all the hullaballoo during the founders’ week celebration and all the childishness that went with it, i was relieved to be back to my old self: all alone under the shade of the acacia tree, sitting back and reading all about Shinzo Abe, the next big thing in Japan.  just as i was about to turn the page to read an article done on the Afghan prime minister, Hamid Karzai, this friend of mine emerged from out of nowhere, gushing about her latest romantic encounter and how she was absolutely swept off her feet because finally, the man she liked had given her a proposal she simply could not refuse.

‘oh, that’s nice,’ i said with a smile, clueless really, as to how i would react.  ‘ but don’t you think it’s too early for that?  we’re still in school and you, my dear, are in a very demanding course.  are you sure you have the time for that?’

she stared back at me for a few moments, apparently taken aback at my reaction.

‘ you know what, you don’t know how to have fun.  you don’t know how to live for the moment.  what if he’s actually my soulmate?  this is the perfect chance.  it may never come again,’ she said in defense.

soulmate or not, i was critical about the whole arrangement.  i knew the guy had a reputation that was as battered as both lebanon and afghanistan combined.  he was a slacker, a goofball, and he always had this inclination to break the rules whenever he could.  when he told a girl that he’d be with her forever, his definition of ‘forever’ seemed to last for only a couple of days.  i didn’t want this guy for my friend but she seriously wanted him no matter what.

i’m sorry to say this but unlike the eagles’ song, love alone will not keep us alive.  love can’t buy clothes, can’t pay for water, electricity, restaurant, or credit card bills.  love can’t buy you a car or send your children to school.  love can’t get you a round trip ticket from Egypt to Costa Rica.  love can’t upgrade your computer or get you a master’s degree.  tell me point blank, when you’re hungry, do you eat love for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even merienda?  i don’t think so.

today, practicality rules over everything else–most especially that we have an economy that’s near ruins.  we need to make the right choices–ones that will guarantee us survival for the next fifty years or so.  people today can’t simply live for the moment, although fun is integral and we can have that once in a while, but realistically speaking, we also need to set our priorities and make sacrifices.

how many families today have gone hungry because of making hasty decisions?  i’ve seen several brilliant young minds who, instead of accepting greater job opportunities or undergoing the most daring endeavors have settled for less than the better things in life.  some have refused the enter doors that were especially opened for them in favor of some very short-term things.  many of them, it is sad to say, have slowly been regretting the choices that they have made.

love is important because it can drive us to do things and attempt to transcend the boundaries of expectation.  however, it can wait and it can be suppressed for all the right reasons.

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