May 31
“Heard It In a Love Song”
Heard it in a love song
Heard it in a love song
Heard it in a love song
Can’t be wrongMarshall Tucker Band
This song is from the ’70s — before social media when people understood sarcasm.
Many love songs have an unhealthy view of love.
Every breath you take/ Every move you make/ Every bond you break/ Every step you take/ I’ll be watching you
I hate myself for loving you/ Can’t break free from the things that you do/ I wanna walk but I run back to you
Stay with me/ Stay with me/ For tonight, you better stay with me/ So in the morning/ Please don’t say you love me/ ’Cause you know I’ll only kick you out the door
It’s a bad idea to develop our view of love from pop songs.
Yet these songs shape our culture and influence our expectations of romantic relationships.
In contrast, Badfinger seemed to have a handle on unconditional love:
No matter what you are
I will always be with you
Doesn’t matter what you do . . .
No matter where you go
I will always be around . . .
Unconditional love does not mean that actions have no consequences. It simply means that love is a choice and that it doesn’t impose conditions.
Unconditional love does not remove individual barriers so that the lover loses their identity in the beloved.
Unconditional love does not mean staying in an abusive relationship.
So just exactly what is it?
Unconditional love is the highest form of love. It is not about emotion. It is about a commitment.
Marriage vows express this commitment: “For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health.”
But it is not only romantic relationships that experience unconditional love. Ideally, parents love their children unconditionally. Many times, friendships are founded upon unconditional love.
This is not a “blind” love or a naïve love that is unable to see the flaws in the beloved.
It is an aware, mature love that loves “No Matter What.”
Now available at Amazon: The Courageous Heart: Wisdom for Difficult Times in paperback and eBook.
