Some enchanted evening
You may see a stranger,
You may see a stranger
Across a crowded room
And somehow you know,
You know even then
That somewhere you'll see her
Again and again.
Who can explain it?
Who can tell you why?
Fools give you reasons,
Wise men never try.
Have you ever wondered why Valentine’s Day is so obligatory in American society? It is not really a national or religious holiday, and you get no day off. However, woe to the chump who forgets to give his wife or lover a card, bouquet of roses, box of chocolates and bottle of wine on February the Fourteenth!
It should come as no surprise to those who realize that the true religion of Hollywood and Broadway is neither sex, nor guns, nor money. It is “Love, sweet Love.” Love sells, because it is what, at bottom, we most want.
Why NOT Love at First Sight?
The Beatles asked us all in the Sergeant Pepper’s album, “Do you believe in love at first sight?” and they promptly answered, “Yes, I know that it happens all the time.” This is what the cynics among us least want to hear, those of us who have been totally disillusioned from all our romantic missteps.
Joseph Campbell, in his masterpiece TV series, Power of Myth, alerted his audience that it all starts with the eyes. For in the eyes man gazes into a woman’s soul. He maintained that only in the Renaissance among the troubadours did romantic love began, for this love was the union of one person with another, irrespective of his or her social station.
I, myself, have experienced love at first sight, not only infatuation, of which I am maximally culpable, but true love. The last time was the right time in my life, and I resolved to never, ever give up. This reminds me of a friend who earlier chided me, “You just haven’t met the right one!” Oh, yes, I did.
Whoever Said True Love Is Not Eternal?
I know all the arguments that love is really an economic proposition, or a matter of convenience. I also know, and have fallen from time to time into the various love styles: game player, romantic and best friend. I know that appearance counts. Money counts. Youth counts. Yet, there is still something more!
If you take the time to closely read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene I, you will hear the very lines that made this play immortal. Juliet confides:
My bounty is as boundless as the sea
My love as deep—the more I give to thee
The more I have, for both are infinite.
Romeo and Juliet became the fictional lovers of all time, because their passionate sentiments are universal. When you find true love, it can never really die. Even unrequited love need not forever remain so.
No one, but no one, can long resistance unconditional love, a love that cannot even imagine giving up on its object.
From Arranged Marriage to Love Marriage
America impetuously began the experiment that defined the modern age with its revolution against Great Britain. It enshrined democracy and defended capitalism in the name of pursuing your own individual happiness. The original 13 colonies not only won the war of independence, but they succeeded in going viral with their dreams and ideals.
Increasingly, the world has moved from a system of arranged marriage to love marriage. Originally, marriage was strictly an affair between families, and the bride and groom were mere pawns in the families’ various social, economic and political objectives. Romantic love as we think of it today was merely a dream, a fantasy.
In the 20th century, Hollywood and New York, with their steady stream of plays, movies and music altered the vision of the world. No marriage that was not sanctified by romantic love quite fit. It is most noteworthy that King Edward abdicated the thrown of England, the most powerful country in the world at that time, to marry a twice-divorced American lady, Wallis Simpson.
The Eternal Triangle of Love, Sex and Romance
Napoleon Hill, in his intriguing chapter on “The Mystery of Sex Transmutation” in Think and Grow Rich pointed out back in the late 1930’s that no marriage without both love and sexual chemistry could provide lasting fulfillment.
He shrewdly observed that sex was the most powerful motivational force in the human psyche, but needed the temperance of love. Sex, he noted, is biological, but love is spiritual.
Napoleon went on to suggest that romance set a couple on fire to do great things. It is the missing ingredient in a magical relationship. Romance, he attributed to imagination. Two people united as one can share a common dream, a common vision that makes everything a labor of love.
After exhaustive biographical studies and countless interviews, Napoleon finally went on to declare that no man throughout history of exceptional achievement has not been motivated by his inherent desire to please a woman. Without his appearing great in the eyes of his beloved, massive amounts of wealth would seem useless.
It Helps to Be Romantic
The first step in capitalizing on these insights is to no longer put down love and romance. You can dream the impossible dream, and raise the bar of your expectations.
Over half of American marriages end in divorce. So you might as well raise the bar and go for the woman who puts fire into your soul. Gaze into her eyes, relish her femininity. Really listen to her.
When you realize that life is a sacred gift, a celebration of divine love, a gorgeous dream, you can choose to go for what is most important in life. Never take your woman or man for granted. Like him or her. Care for him or her. If he or she is THE ONE, go for it no matter the consequences.
If you are living a sham, then reach higher, and stop compromising your dreams. Valentine’s Day is our time to revisit the very fountain of our lives. Love poetry, flowers and music. Take a trip to Venice, or any place that really does it for you. Time is your true equity in life!
The True Story of Saint Valentine
The final secret lies in the realization that romantic love is our fastest way to know and love God. If you can only find the Supreme Being through a man or woman, then go find that man or woman! Romance’s ultimate objective is the divine, to live miraculously, and through that process discover eternal life.
Valentine’s Day is a tribute to the Christian Martyr, Saint Valentinus, who was utterly committed to marrying Roman soldiers, putting love before death, consecrating their lives to universal love. He succeeded in converting many patricians, those of the upper class, touching Caesar’s household. He developed an affection for the daughter of a prominent Roman, who suffered blindness.
When Saint Valentinus pushed his luck too far, he crossed Caesar and was swiftly sentenced to being beheaded. Before he was officially executed, he wrote a letter of consolation to the young blind lady, along with a yellow crocus flower. In the wake of his death, the lady was healed and became a leading saint. A friend of mine, Sheridan Tatsuno, has written a delightful novelette on this story, called Valentine.
When Love Is Divine, Reach for the Stars!
The ultimate secret to falling in love forever is to make your relationship about something greater than yourselves. Contribution on any issue on a planetary scale might be a good place to start.
When a couple unite in making a difference, not only to get wealthy, but to change the world, something miraculous happens. Their lives matter, because their dreams matter. They get beyond their petty quarrels and start making a contribution in a way neither of them could ever have done alone.
Find your true love. You will hear the music of the spheres. You will then be more than ready to change the world.. We are all waiting for you!
Can You Fall in Love Forever? appeared first on http://consciousowl.com.
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