I had a plan for this essay.There were several paragraphs of a laid-out argument, that I’d written, that I didn’t truthfully care all that much about. — My goal with writing essays is not to push a specific agenda, nor is it to categorize myself as belonging to any sort of group, or that I adhere to any kind of dogmatic belief. It is to remind the world of what it means to be human, which has been lost in translation over time.
As everyone’s different, so too will be my perspective on such matters as the idea and concept of love. — It seems to me that the idea of “love” has been conflated with the need for complete and total surrender of the physical body, when really there is a much deeper, much more pure type of love. It is a love that can span anywhere in the world, where no distance may keep those in such a love apart. Platonic love is such a love, the purest love that two individuals may share.
It is a love that you wish to cherish, that you wish to mend when broken, and heal when it’s hurt. There are no strings attached, no expectations, and no worries of judgment by each other. Of course, with never having experienced such a feeling, it’s entirely possible that such a concept may go unrecognized by those who experience it. It is a love that is confusing, as it’s in no way connected to physical attraction. It can be felt separately, and it’s even stronger because of that. The fears and worries you may have at the beginning of first experiencing these feelings are there because it’s a feeling unfamiliar to you.
As there are several different levels to love, it would be easy for an emotionally underdeveloped individual, or an individual with emotional trauma, to believe that a love they feel on the mental level may be a love felt on the physical level. Or it could happen the opposite way, where a physical love attraction may be mistaken for one that may resonate on the intellectual level, or the spiritual level. As humans, we only have so much capacity for love that we can store in our hearts and all throughout our bodies. Think of it like energy flowing through a collective of circuits that power an entire computer. There’s only so much electricity that a computer can facilitate before overheating, and so the mind will carefully direct the different energies to wherever they are needed the most. And so, because of this, a scale was created.
Physical attraction is the most primitive, barbaric form of love, though in its infancy is instinct. As we are of the animal kingdom, we adhere to natural urges that are deeply rooted within the physical space. However, that’s not always the case. Sometimes there’s an almost immovable force that creates a comfortable bond between two individuals, even if only one can feel it at first. It’s still there, especially when you feel as though you should quit, but you don’t.
A platonic relationship is much more heartfelt, much more wholesome, and it’s often the opposite of a romantic relationship. Although it can lead into one, it’s not required. It’s more focused on the idea that you are in love with the human being, regardless of who they might be.
One form of platonic love would be the love that you might have for family members. Another would be extremely close friends. There’s a form of platonic love where you may love somebody’s intellect, or maybe their spirit—and the experience that you have together may spark, like two wires connecting for the first time to complete a circuit. And that’s all it sometimes is, and that’s okay. Because we are all humans, and we are meant to love each other in such a way that is universal.
If you’re unaware of this feeling, it may be difficult to break it down to understand it. It’s possible that you might think you have to try extremely hard to fight for such a relationship to be maintained, but you don’t. Simply allow the universe to provide, and it will. If you allow yourself to love somebody platonically, then you’re allowing yourself to be able to love them unconditionally, and they will feel that from you.
And it’s okay to sometimes say the wrong thing at the wrong time. If the love you share is on a platonic level, it will not matter. Your love will know no bounds as it extends beyond the limitations of physical reality. There’d be no distance that could keep either of you apart, either physically or spiritually.
Platonic love is cosmic.
Think of it as a hierarchy, or a locked system of achievements that must be completed throughout our lives. We begin platonically in love with the world and the people that inhabit it, and then once we grow older, experiences from living will either cause us to close ourselves completely or open up excessively. We can get trapped on each love level that crosses our path. We can’t seem to understand why we’re on this level when we are, but understand once we’ve moved onto the next level—and that’s exactly what they are, levels. And with each level unlocked, all the other levels below remain unlocked. As being platonically in love is to be at the highest peak of love that one could reach, all other levels below are still accessible.
I think we’ve fallen into a common place where many of us only experience the lowest level of love; material, physical, artificial—where nothing but physical matter matters. We mistake lust for love. We live in fleeting moments, as if nothing before that very moment matters. We pretend that we’re happy lusting for others instead of loving ourselves. And we make choices that have their own effects on the etheric love that’s embedded in the fabric of space. It connects us to the love that binds us to this universe, the platonic love that reaches beyond the body to the soul; our better, more complete self.
And once we realize this, and we begin to love ourselves completely and wholly, we can learn and relearn how to love others. Even if the love you once had is buried deep within, it’s still there, and it’s still accessible. Even if you’ve been hurt every step of the way, it never left your side. Love does not die. Like energy, it merely transforms into something else entirely; an illuminating brilliance that’ll light the way for future lost souls.
We often disassociate ourselves with the idea of loving anyone else other than family, friends, or any partners in life. However, there still needs to be a sense of love for other humans, as there’s not a single person alive today that came into this world by choice. And because of this we are blessed with the choice to proceed with however a life we wish to live—and to love. We are allowed to choose who we love, and who we allow to love us back. We’re allowed to choose who we let in, and who we let go throughout the entirety of our ever-fleeting lives. It is unfortunate, though the memories are still beautiful.
I believe in the idea that love goes beyond all else, as it is ingrained in every facet of this reality and its projected counterparts. It’s what drives this world, governs our society, and allows for human civilization to grow and prosper, and evolve into something magnificent. Because of love—platonic love—and a love for the human spirit, humanity has thrived.
And I wonder, sometimes, if such a sentiment has been lost to the sands of time, as all other human-made concepts are. I wonder if the idea of a love for which I once thought was embraced by the entire world—I wonder if the world no longer embraces it.
And so, I suppose my only question is, why should I embrace a world without love? — Why should anyone?
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