Page 26 - Seniors Today Febuary 2020
P. 26
Cover Story | First Person III
What is
Love
Manoj Maheshwari has a brief chat with Khalil Gibran on the vexing question
The editor said: Write me a piece on Love…. are hard and steep. And when he speaks to you
Love….what can I say about love? What can I pen believe in him, Though his voice may shatter your
that is not corny or hackneyed? I was in a real dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
quandary and at my wits end….and then a bulb lit For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify
up…… you.......”
I decided to call Khalil Gibran….the man By now, I was even more confused on the concept
whose philosophy made a whole generation feel of love and seriously questioning my sanity in
intellectual and uplifted…..surely if anyone knew calling Khalil Gibran for the true essence of love....
about love it was HE….and so I picked up my There was silence for a moment and then a small
magical device and called the Prophet himself…. laugh....”In the material world, we are all given
The signal whirled through ether and unknown to pontificating....writing in a manner that most
dimensions and then..... a deep voice answered…. people think is intellectual....we need to market
“This is Khalil...how may I enlighten you?”… and sell ourselves...but now? Now I can truly give
I was in conversation with the Master himself…. you my interpretation of love....
and hopefully asked “Oh Master, what is the true Love is a spontaneous joy within a person.
essence of love?” It needs to come from within and is neither
I waited for the literary pearls of wisdom and binding nor possessive... love does not impose
a philosophical soliloquy, but… the answer was but liberates... Love is not selfish nor can it be
nothing like I imagined... contaminated by hate, jealousy, doubts, anger, or
“Love my son? Do you still try to unravel the possessiveness.
vagaries and mysteries of love? Were my teachings Love cannot be intellectualised or analysed - love
not enough to show you the light?” is all heart and true emotions - an ecstasy beyond
As I had but a hazy recollection of the teachings of description...”
the Great One...I hedged my bets...” Oh Master, I do Is this me? Or Khalil Gibran? Or love itself? I
seek pardon....I have imbibed your teachings....”.... can’t say.... all I can say - Love can’t be taught or
Google came to my rescue as I continued “When learned...it is in each one of us, we need to find it
love beckons to you follow him, Though his ways and define the experience for ourselves...
26
