Last month in the confines of a dentist's waiting room, me and two strangers failed at small talk and then went on and tried to make sense of each others’ lives, and could not. But in came the topic of love and we strangely found ourselves on familiar ground. We talked for long minutes and when we left, strangers we still be, but with a little less of the strangeness - we found that we all had loved, knew of its lore and lived through its leaps and lows.
Love has an uncanny ability to do that – it pushes people up, many a times pulls them down and sometimes sweeps them off their feet; but love, for the most of times, bring us all to size – it grounds us. And quite arguably, love is the world’s greatest leveler. Almost every soul wounded by Cupid’s shot stand united in their inability to describe that crazy feeling called love and once loved, one will realize that none are the better in the ways of this fine foolish feeling.
Different people from different worlds have different views on life. But the topic of love is often common ground and they strangers no longer are. A hot shot banker will find little to relate to with a great teacher; or a young techie will have little to discuss with a veteran doctor; and a rookie student may not be able to connect with a famous foodie; but bring in the topic of love and they will all have something, and a little bit more, to stoke the cauldron of conversation, camaraderie and connection. Almost everyone gets instantly unified with their experimentations, explorations and experiences with love.
But how a person responds to the feeling is her love story, and that is unique. While some get empowered, some fall down. Some get scarred while some are in smiles. Some lose it, some win it and some just do nothing. Some show it, some hide it, some express it and some simply don’t. Some spend years without it, some spend years for it, some fight for it and some just fall into it. And that makes their love story. But while love stories are unique, love is not. This heady feeling of the heart makes no distinction and treats everyone equally with its misfortunes. It happens to everyone. In spite of aptitude, attitude or anomaly. In spite of creed, community or country. In spite of vanity, worth or vintage.
And once loved, we no longer be virgins to its virtues, wickedness and vices – the stolen glances, the feverish touches, the longing, the yearning, the warmth, the comfort, the sweet nothings, the silly pillow talk, the smell of the hug, the fear of loss and the joy of giving, the fights, the making up and making out, the broken pride, the lovely losing, the companionship, the exhilaration … we all know what they are.
Love, the leveler, truly unites us all.
