“Love turns the Earth ‘round, Domenico. If not love, it would have collapsed; it would have been overwhelmed with all these sins…until it wasn’t able to move anymore.” – An excerpt from The First Garment by Guram Dochanashvili.

What is love? And why does it hold so much importance to humankind?

Some may describe it as an intense and multifaceted chemical process, fueled by the brain’s neurotransmitters and hormones. Others may view it as a great interest or pleasure in something, perhaps even someone. But ultimately, a universal agreement can be made that the feelings love evokes in us are primal and essential to longevity, safety, and social connection.

With the spirit of St.Valentine around the corner, today’s article will be discussing various forms of love, their quiet meaning, and the undeniable beauty they bring into our lives.

Love is more than just romance

For many, Valentine’s Day is a reminder of the absence of romantic love in their lives. As they pass through the aisles of heart-shaped candy, flower bouquets, or couples kissing on sidewalks, they recall every instance of a lost lover, or perhaps, the complete absence of one from the past. They dread the evening that follows due to fears about the future and desperation to find someone who will, one day, love them unconditionally. I blame romantic comedies for this! Especially the American box-office favorites that show the girl crying and eating a pint of ice cream by herself in front of the TV. Since when did love become only romantic? Why must the day of celebrating the most fundamental and important aspect of being a human – loving, caring, or nurturing – be related to something only two individuals share in a relationship?

There is nothing wrong with loving another person romantically. It is our evolutionary instinct to do so; to connect, create a family, and reproduce. However, this is only one type of love that exists, and frankly, many philosophers would argue that it is the least valuable of all. Plato’s Symposium, a series of dialogues from one of his gatherings at Agathon’s house, serves as a great example for defining love beyond romance. For the great author, our affection towards other human beings is merely steps to the attainment of absolute love, virtue, or beauty. In Plato’s own words, “what we are to love in persons is the ‘image’ of the idea in them,” meaning the interest or pleasure found is just a mirage that will slowly reveal the deeper needs and desires of our soul. Continuing with this argument, Socrates recounts his conversation with the priestess Diotima at the gathering, stating that love beginning with physical attraction to a single beautiful body is the most basic form of love. The endpoint of such love, Diotoma states, is broadening your appreciation towards beauty in general; the beauty of the soul, knowledge, and ultimately, wisdom itself. This is when love is no longer about desire or possession of fleeting beauty, but the enduring beauty of the mind and the spirit. Consequently, the romantic relationship we experience with another person leads us to a higher self-discovery, intellectual, and spiritual enlightenment. Additionally, this view challenges the common notion of love being fixed, finite, or tied to a specific individual, and instead, presents it as a continual process of striving for a deeper connection.

The Georgian Perspective on Love

But if not a romantic partner, husband, or wife, where can one discover and experience love?

Going back to the quote that opened today’s article, the Georgian 21st-century writer, Guram Dochanashvili, would argue that love is all around us. In fact, love is how the world exists and persists despite the pain that consistently appears in it. However, Dochanashvili was not the first to authorize this statement in Georgia. Nearly a century before he wrote The First Garment, there was a man; a deeply troubled man who wrote countless poems in isolation; and his name derived from the word “galaxy” (‘Galaktika’ in the Georgian language) to foresee his colossal influence on the future academic and cultural development of the country. This man was Galaktion Tabidze, who in 1913 wrote the famous poem Without Love and redefined what counted as love eternally.

“Without love, the sun does not shiver in the sky.

There is no breeze, and the forest sleeps.

One knows no beauty without love, 

Neither eternity exists without it.

Yet the love that comes later is beyond compare, 

Just like a flower that blooms in the autumn sun. 

It often beats the first one that was.”

Here, Galaktion does not describe love as an abstract ideal, but as a condition of perception itself. Without love, nothing appears beautiful, meaningful, or alive. In other words, love is not something we feel only in extraordinary moments, but something we encounter in ordinary ones, often without even realizing or appreciating it.

Love is what truly shapes how we experience and move with the world. Hence, it can exist in more places than we are taught to look nowadays.

The More You Look For Love, The More You Find It

Love is in our friendships that outlive physical distance, hardships, or major life changes. 

Love is in animals that wig their tails at our glance or rub their fur against our bodies for comfort. 

Love is in the homemade food your mother, grandmother, or aunt packs for your school breaks. 

Love is in the teachers or professors who stay after class and ensure you have all you need to succeed in understanding. 

Love is in the tailors, shoemakers, and cobblers that create what you put on your body everyday. 

Love is in the cleaning or cooking staff, the handymen and construction workers, who ensure live in a safe, clean, and filling environment. 

Love is in the strangers who stop to give you directions when you are lost or those who smile when your eyes spontaneously meet with theirs.

This idea is beautifully echoed in Olivia Dean’s song, I’ve seen it, “The more you look, the more you find. It’s all around you, all the time. Catches your eye, you blink, and then it’s gone. Brings out the worst, brings out the best. I know it’s somewhere in my chest. I guess it’s been inside me all along.”

Maybe this is exactly why love is so easy to miss? Not because of its absence or rarity, but quietness and softness. And consequently, maybe love should not be something we wait for, but something we learn to notice!

So, this Valentine’s Day, maybe instead of focusing on who will bring you flowers, write you a romantic letter, or hold your hand, ask: Where has love already shown itself in your life? Because if love truly makes the world go ‘round, then recognizing it might be the most meaningful way to celebrate it.