What do some people say is worth living for but also worth dying for? What causes such a wild spectrum of emotions that can’t possibly all be contained in one sentence? What is the theme of countless works of art?
Love. Love is the answer. It fuels our lives. Its existence can make or break us. We can have productive behaviour if the waters of love are calm. We can be completely exhilarated and feel capable of conquering any obstacles when newly in love. We can also be completely lethargic and unproductive if things in the love department are going badly.
With so many factors at stake, how do we balance life and love? After all, there are so many different ways and types of love. Love doesn’t always mean romance. We feel love with our families, whether they’re biological or chosen. We feel love toward our pets, which I believe fall into the category of family. There’s love that people feel toward good friends, toward colleagues and coworkers, to people who have passed away, and even to those we may have never met, such as an artist or musician.
A commonly used phrase is “love thy neighbour.” This is something I try to practice, but it’s not always easy. I give money when I can to people who need it, and I had to accept a long time ago that money I give may not be going toward food or shelter. I’ve accepted that with ease because I’m still helping to make someone’s path through life a little easier.
However, loving thy neighbour also implies loving those who have wronged us, because it’s the right thing to do. That’s harder for me. I consider myself a very forgiving person, and I have no issue with accepting apologies and continuing to move ahead, but loving the real shit disturbers in my life is difficult. I don’t always understand the concept of letting go. This is where having to balance comes in for me—I’ve had to try to practice loving people regardless of their actions. This is useful for my own progression and sanity, but it’s always hard.
Balancing romantic love with academic life is something most students have had to navigate, and it’s always a conundrum because we have to try and make time for studies, ourselves, and this amazing human being we absolutely must have in our lives.
If it doesn’t work out, then we can be in serious trouble because a broken heart will destroy a person for a while. It can make a deep gash in a person’s neat and tidy academic path.
Balance must mean examining all sides, and making sure to love ourselves with the most consideration. After all, it’s a shame to not try. Love is a many splendoured thing.