Okay, so we need to sort things out. With Valentine's Day around the corner, the concept of love seems to be way too commercialized, and misunderstood, with an entire industry catering to this “emotion." Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to condemn love, but just put it into perspective. When we think of love and Valentine's Day, we tend to think of Cupid, this angelic baby, wielding his bow and arrow and kindling attraction. Historically, Cupid was not this cute little infant, the modern day mascot of love, but rather, a mischievous toddler who played with emotions and shot arrows of gold or lead, that induced love or hate, depending on his fancy.

So, really, what is love? Because if love was, as people say, a deep feeling of compassion, empathy, longing, and support, could it really be induced by this cherubic angel? Can a superficial jab really induce a feeling so deep? For me, this passionate fire must be induced by something more meaningful than physical attraction. The “play of love” goes somewhat like this: we adapt ourselves to woo a lover, and act according to the other’s preference. We quickly look to move onto the next phase of “love,” which is the phase of intimate sexual passion and attraction, or lust. Once we reach this “checkpoint,” we feel “love," but is it really? We say we love someone, when really, we long to reignite that sexual passion and desire, and satisfy the other's desire by indulging in the capitalistic trap that the makers and sellers of red roses, heart shaped boxes of chocolate, and big fluffy bears advertise as a display of “love.” Mostly, it is just lust.

Do no get me wrong, I am not trying to condemn love, but simply state my views. Man (and woman) is a sexual animal, and when we indulge in passionate lovemaking, we get hooked. This is not love, it is lust. I feel that love is truly something more than the physical attraction, and should not be trivialized, or slotted into a “day for love.” True love exists, and should be celebrated every day.

But really, what is love? To sort out the confusion, I feel that feelings of love and lust for someone can exist simultaneously. But to truly gauge our feelings for someone else, we must look at these powerful emotions separately. Love and lust can both be positive emotions, and they should be celebrated genuinely, not be commercialized.