Thinking about Love on Valentine’s Day

Last year, I wrote a blog post that had a great response from my editors. The first version I wrote resulted in a quick email back to me. A simple “wow.” Then 30 minutes later, I received four independent requests to tone down the descriptions of what makes me happy. I was told that the description of the kiss was too intimate, that I didn’t need to mention the lips or the heat of my loved one’s breath, that the movement on the dance floor was too passionate… Were they telling me my blog post on happiness was too happy?

When I write, I write like I talk. I write for the reader: to touch them, to reach them, to describe what is common in all of us. I don’t hold back. I am a businessman, but I am not a prude. I’m alive, not dead. I am an observant, living human being who is not embarrassed to talk about my emotions or what I am passionate about. What I feel is not dissimilar to what you feel.

Society has a habit of restricting how we feel, what we think, and what we do. If society, our community, creates this barrier and we blindly follow that rule, how can we be human? How can we care about others, be happy about their successes and achievements or see the world through their eyes and empathize? How can we be happy in our own lives if we hold back?

Love is an important part of happiness. Yes, love can be torturous and misplaced; it can turn us inside out. But it is the single most important emotion and the deepest feeling that we have. It keeps us focused, protective and caring. It allows us to bond with our companions, our children and our clan. Love is the strongest driving force in our lives, overpowering hate, greed and anger. I will stack love against them all.

This Valentine’s Day post is about love—not cupids, hearts, kisses, dancing or last-minute dinner reservations in a crowded restaurant.

What does LOVE mean to you? What do you love—truly, truly love? Not a passing lust or a fleeting sensation but a lasting, long-lasting LOVE.

Tell us what you love.