Jean Browman’s post ‘How To Stay Happy Always’ caused a bit of a discussion on the use of the word ‘love’. It also resulted in some off blog discussions by email. That has motivated me to attempt this blog.
The first time I heard the word was when I started playing table tennis and badminton as a young lad. The score always started at love all. I always identified the word to mean zero. That memory comes back whenever I see a tennis match on the television and with it a smile too. The association of ‘love’ with zero or nothing is quite amusing.
Then nature stepped in and I grew up fantasizing about ‘love’ totally associating it with ‘lust’. I know from many secrets shared with me by other young people of about my age, that this was their understanding as well. In fact, I am led to believe that even among adults that this understanding is alive and kicking today.
The reader must understand that I come from a background where parents and children do not affirm their love to each other by words. It is something that is taken for granted. So, when I started reading novels in English and saw and heard the word in English films, I was quite confused. That confusion has not completely disappeared yet.
My confusion further got and continues to get confounded whenever I hear things like ‘I love my car’ or ‘I love pop corn’.
So, when I was led to musing about the word ‘love’ after reading Jean’s post, I decided to do the only sensible thing under the circumstances. I went to the dictionary.
I am not surprised at what I found there. Everything that I have written about here, features there and some.
One word, so many meanings, nuances and interpretations. Can you add your own meanderings through life with this word?
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