Love

I've been thinking about love. If I say that I love the mandolin, what does, or rather, what ought, that mean?

I think that love is primarily about service.

For instance, considering the mandolin, there are things that the mandolin gives me. The sound is beautiful, it occupies my spare time, and if I get good at it, there might be social benefits to it. That said, I think if I were to say that I love the mandolin because of what it gives me, I would be going wrong.

I think, fundamentally, love is an act. It is not a particularly pleasant act. To love the mandolin would be to dedicate as much of my spare time as I can as possible; it would be to think of it constantly; it would be to ensure that I serve it. It would be to play the mandolin even when I don't really want to. That is the act of love.

It is the same with a lover. Of course, a lover does offer things: companionship, sex, and the like. Yet, simply to receive the acts of the lover is not love itself. To love another is to offer oneself to them; it is to be in devotional service to them.

So, do I love the mandolin? I can't say I do yet. I want to; all I must do is offer myself to it.