Love Is Not What We Mean

People say love is a sentiment,

But the sentiment may not be love,

For, a sentimental person may become cruel,

When his sentiments are not responded to;

People say love is an emotion,

But the emotion may not be love,

For, an emotional person may become hateful,

When his emotions are not reciprocated;

People say love is forgiveness,

But forgiveness may not be love,

For, forgiveness may become self-gratifying,

When one becomes conscious that it is a noble act;

People say love means caring,

But mere caring may not be love,

For, in that caring one may ignore to be wise,

Enough to show the right path for living;

People say love means attachment,

But attachment may not be love,

For, in that attachment, there may be pain,

When the attachment is no longer possible;

People say love means being possessive,

But possessiveness may not be love,

For, it may bring fear and despair,

When what is possessed is lost;

One cannot say it is love,

When there is a motive behind loving,

For, either the greed or fear as a motive,

May mean selfishness and pretense;

There is no love when action is absent,

And hence such love may not be trustworthy,

But love may not need proof to be trustworthy,

Since the action must happen without any motive;

In order to love one may not have any demand,

Nor one may try to cultivate it as a habit,

For, any demand may result in violence,

And any habit may make one insensitive;

Then if someone asks “what is love?”,

There may not be any answer to it,

Since one cannot describe nor define love,

But love may happen when one is free from all the above;

Can anybody say he loves truly,

When he may love someone but hate some others,

For, love and hatred cannot stay together,

One must be free from all motives and discriminations.