~~~Thoughts on Love~~~~ {2}

Does this not seem like an apparently inconceivable task I have bestowed upon myself ? Admittedly, I haven't the slightest idea which direction this passage is heading and whether it is doomed to be nothing but an utter failure. Should I stop right now? Probably. My resolve, however, exceedingly outweighs my donbt. I am fully aware that it is nearly impossible for me to mentally grasp love's true essence unless I consult a neuroscientist who can explain to me which neurochemical release is associated with the feeling of love (which is clearly not what I am here to do). This is why I doubt myself. Luckily (Or unluckily, however you look at it). my curiosity on the issue supersedes any inhibitions posed by these doubts. I suppose that I have rambled for far too long now, and it is time to begin my analysis. I have successfully eliminated from my mind thoughts of roses, knights in shining armor, lovemaking, and any other preconceived notion of love ever--so ingrained in my head. I will now attempt to objectively define love, and I will be sure to do so in the most cautious fashion possible. I would like to make clear that I am only referring to love in the romantic sense. I do not believe that it is necessary to parameterize the idea of romance. There is no need to distinguish love with a soul mate from love with a child. The differences are apparent to us all. Love is undeniably a feeling. I hesitate to say it is a thought, although you could make the case that the feeling of love often translates into thoughts. After a person experiences the feeling of love, she may then think to herself that she is in love and even exclaim it to her lover, but her thought process is not essential to the existence of her feeling. Her statement to her lover is merely a by--product of feeling a certain way. The flowers, the love poems, and the happily--ever--afters are physical by--products that are triggered by love, although many, including myself, often confuse said by--products for true love. While they are arguably signs of love, they do not contain love in and of themselves. I have not yet provided a justification as to why love takes root in the form of a feeling. At some point, I am going to have to ask the readers to refrain from being unreasonably skeptical about this passage. I ask them to blindly accept my claim that love is a feeling. I am not asking for much here, I am merely requesting that the reader assumes the obvious; it cannot be clearer to me that love is a feeling. Sure, it may be unclear what kind of feeling love is, but it is a feeling nonetheless. .............................to be continued