Weekly Blog Post #7

Tuesday, September 24th, 2013

Love, from a Romantic View and a Biological View

We had talked about the effect of knowledge on us, how it shapes our world. And recently, as I was going over a couple of concepts, I thought about the extent of this influence upon my views of how the world is. For this, let's take a look at the concept of love.

Society has romanticized the concept of love greatly. Taking a look at teen novels and magazines, we can read about the "instantaneous crushes", "the madness of love", "the folly it inspires", "the power it gives to overcome any obstacle", and all. Watching movies, we see the perfect guy, tender, affectionate, romantic, knowing everything that a girl wants; the ideal couples, who seem to live in a little bubble of their own and are happy, happy, happy, living and loving happily ever after.

Contrasted to this apparent ideal love life, I hear about the scientific views of love, that crushes all hopes of romanticism. According to biology, love is a chemical reaction and the raging of hormones. I remember clearly my biology teacher's words: "Yes, we always say 'I love him' or 'I love her'. But what we actually love is not the individual in question, but the hormones and chemicals our bodies produce when the individual is at sight. We associate those 'feel-good-hormones' to the individual we love. So, technically speaking, love can be seen as the equivalent of a chemical reaction and hormonal changes.". Added to that, I hear about the evolutionary theory of partner selection. Everything we do is based on evolution. Men have to show off their qualities, and women fall for the ones who do the best job at promoting their talents. It is all based on survival and on passing on the genes. Apart from the scientific point of view, I hear about the terrible heartbreaks that occur in some relationships, my aunt no marrying because she was abandoned by a guy she had dated for years. I look at real-life situations, and shudder at the bitterness that can ensue at the end of love. I consider and reflect upon all of these situations. I could become a cynic in love, deciding to never fall in love or express my feelings to the person I love.
Yet, despite the knowledge I have, I stay positive and hopeful. Yes, things may happen. But these things do not necessarily have to be. So many good things happen in life. Knowledge of the bads can stop from having fun, enjoying. On the contrary, as much as my knowledge can contribute to a cynical view of the world, I know about good deeds that show the good. Knowledge is not just based on facts, data, concrete evidence. It is also based on hope and faith, and the conviction in these beliefs. That is why I always smile. Because it is when I look at life with a smile that life will smile at me. Keep hope. Keep smiling.