Love

Love

What is love? A lot of scholars, authors, illustrators, poets and many others, including each one

of us ,have different perceptions of love. Love could be as sweet as spring, as hot as summer,

as blurry as autumn, or as harsh as winter. There is no fixed definition of love, nor is there any

right or wrong answer. This makes love so incredibly unique, love could be as far reaching as

the universe; love could be as intoxicating as wine; love could draw like a moth to a flame. Love

can nevertheless be portrayed in countless ways, be it in a positive or negative light. This hence

raises the controversial question: Is love ultimately bad, or is it overarchingly good?

Starting off from a brighter side, love can build and sustain relationships. This can be seen all

over the world today, as families are built upon the basis of love, how two different people can

flutter into the dance of life until the curtains are drawn, how people from all walks of life can

click and stay with one another through thick and thin. I believe that love binds people together.

It is not just a mere attraction, the little spark of interest upon first interaction, but rather a

sustenance, the tree that keeps giving, the spring that keeps on watering from a bottomless

well. Gestures of affirmation, presents from the heart, words of encouragement... All these can

only be done out of love, love for the other, that builds, nourishes and sustains relationships,

bringing joy and assurance.

However, love can also be argued to be intoxicating, a harbinger of pain after a momentary

pleasure. Celebrity couples are everywhere on the global platform, and just as easily as they

are formed, they are also broken, and it is often that we hear songs about tears after break-ups

or a love affair. Love is casted as the villain, ripping ill-fated lovers apart like a heart broken into

two, as one ventures off to piece itself together with an eager, awaiting other to form a heart

brand new. To love feels like a gamble, you might win, get a taste of the high and realise it is not

enough, then proceed to stumble and waste all your heart away on gambles not worth to play.

Hence, would it be better to walk away from the doors of the casino, turn your head around

before you draw your heart on your sleeve and reveal for all to see? Would this not make love

an unpleasant game, an over romanticised concept, a surge of killer dopamine? Thus, for those

who loved and lost and cried, love can be nothing more than the bait to hook on a poor soul with

everything to lose.

In the end, is love worth it? Is it the rainbow at the end or an undying storm? All I can say is, I

believe that true love builds and sustains, remains unyielding in the tempest, a light that draws

hope in days of unrest, and to seek that do we learn to love starting from ourselves. If we want

love that is good, that builds and not destroys, that prospers and not withers, we must learn. Be

it communicating well, respecting boundaries, caring for the other, it takes time, patience and

conviction, and only by knowing and performing this, can we love in happiness and not in

sorrow. Of course, as I mentioned before, love can be interpreted in different ways, and as a 15

year old, nearly 16, student with no prior experience in this field, my perception of love can

change with time too, and I may receive revelations that can unpeel the layers of love like an

onion.

What do you think? Do you think love is a hidden dagger or a key to happiness?

Wrapping it up, whether or not love is really beautiful or destructive, it is an altogether

mysterious and enchanting concept, and a beautiful literary device in the pages of our lives!

Keep fighting and love(live)on!

Wong Yu Xuan

4 Wisdom

2025