Love is an emotion we may all be familiar with, or at very least familiar with the term, and its associations. Love is man’s highest attainment, second only, maybe to joy. But then again, perhaps joy, ecstasy, and love are all terms for the same feelings?

It may be argued that perhaps love is a thought process, such as that of fear. Since these emotions and feelings are created from the same area of the brain. Yet the difference lies in the fact that love resides in the moment, and is not based on memory, or past, or future experiences, whereas fear thoughts are based on past events, and judgments regarding future events. In other words, love is not taken from one’s memory. We do not look at a cat, and say perhaps, "ah yes, cats, I remember I love them". Indeed we may love cats, and that is simply it, the conclusive reason. On the other hand we may say, "ah cats, yes I fear them, because of the time when.....". The fear thought is based on a past occurrence or experience. Fear must be based on some form of experience or memory, be it self preservation or simply prejudice, [pre-judgment].

Love is not based on past experience, [or is it?]

Love is most certainly an emotion, and thereby a feeling to be experienced. Love is not simply a thought process from the mind and memory. Love resides in the present moment, the feeling existing from each second to the next. It is the perpetual feeling that we associate with elation, and unquestionable truth. Since love is associated with truth, it is hence associated with God. Since both, we presume, are truth, both love and God are pure. They can be termed as "Oneness", for there is no contradiction in their truth. The phrases "Love is", and "God is" are both valid, and may therefore be immutable, the same?

Off course, we all use the word love for varying levels of emotional communication. The term is applied both deeply and loosely, for example "I just love your shoes", may be taken as an exaggeration of the words "like" or "enjoy", used as emphasis. Whereas, "I love you", would imply a person’s highest communication of intimacy. This is the use of the word love, yet the emotional state of love is something that cannot really be explained by words or language. It may only be experienced, and known for the feelings it brings forth.

A good question indeed; How?
Personally it is very difficult to define or answer this, and since it may be different for each of us, would it even be practicable to attempt to answer this question? Yet you may grow to love someone or something by way of familiarity, or you may fall head over heels in love at first glance, [although there are some would argue that love at first sight is a delusion]. The more one tries to explain the feeling of love, the more one gets stuck. Similar to explaining terms like infinity, or eternity. Maybe this is no coincidence, since all these phenomena are potentially overwhelming in comprehension, they cannot be explained with language alone. To understand these terms we need a level of cognition, and reason, an inner understanding of complexity. This understanding is beyond even our own levels of communication and language.

Fear is easily recognisable, because fear is an emotion related to past experience and memory. This memory or past event triggers our fears and mind to recognise potential dangers, and to recognise similar situations, and how to deal with them. In this case, fear is a measure of experience. Without experience of fear, it therefore follows, that we cannot know it; The innocent child or animal that has no memory of fear, does not know danger, and is therefore highly susceptible to it. Or similarly the child or animal that is raised without the experience or need for fear, has no meaning of it.

Yet this raises the similar question, if fear resides in memory and experience, they why is love any different? Does love reside in our memory, even though we have not, [or feel we have not], yet experienced it for ourselves?

As children we all experience the love from our parents and family, and as we grow, we extend this love to others, and choose partners to love and behold. So can we really experience love without any prior knowledge of it? It may be argued that our mortal love is symbolic of our love of God, and similarly that our loss and want of love, is also symbolic of our separation from God’s love. In this case, this would imply an inner understanding and prior knowledge of love, and therefore of truth. The terms truth, love and God are generally accepted as originating from the same, and an integral part of the same being.

If this is the case, that love resides within us all, without any need of experience, then the logical way to seek love would be to look within. To find the love we have for ourselves, the inner love inherent in the spirit mind, or soul. And thus by doing so, one might hope to find truth, or the truth of love. And if the truth and love can be found within, would this not imply, that God could also be found within?

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