but the eyes are blind. one must look with the heart

"If someone loves a flower, of which just one single blossom grows in all millions and millions of stars, it is enough to make him happy just to look at the stars. He can say to himself: 'Somewhere, my flower is there...' But if the sheep eats his flower, in one moment all his stars will be darkened." -le petite prince, antoine de saint exupéry

If you have never read the book The Little Prince, I really encourage you to do it. It is a simple story, originally in french, about a little prince and his travels, far away from the little planets that he lives on. One story within this book is about the love that he has for his flower back home. He meets many people (as well as other animals and plants..they can talk..) along the way, and from each one he learns a little bit more about life, and mostly about love. He encounters many different characters, each that have their own love in their lives. Counting stars, themselves, alcohol, and people who had silly jobs, but just couldn't pull themselves away from them. The little prince learns from all of these people that he really just wants to go home and take care of what he loves, his little flower.

I don't think that love can really be explained, especially if it's a feeling. The little prince loved his flower so much; he would do anything for it. He covered it at night to protect it from animals, watered it daily, and made a screen to get the most sun, and protect it from winds. He missed his flower so much when he was away from it, and his precious little flower was constantly on his mind. In the beginning, he believed that his little flower was the only of its kind, until he came to earth and found a whole bunch of his little flowers (they were roses). Even when he realized that there were more in the universe, and his little flower wasn't unique, he still loved it. Even though his little flower was demanding, he still loved it.

This book taught me a lot about the different types of love that people can feel in the world. At church we learn about love, intimate, brotherly, and Godly.. but there are so many more types out there too. Even the words 'love' itself can have so much meaning, sometimes more than people think. Even the dictionary can't set a finite definition for the word. It explains that love is 1.great affection for a person or thing, 2. a passionate desire for someone, 3. to like (to do something) very much, 5. a deep feeling of sexual attraction, and many more.. There are so many definitions, yet none fit with how the word is just thrown around in society today.

The world love (and hate, but that's something entirely separate) needs to be cherished now, more than ever. I think that people should almost stop using, unless they are really going to stop and think about what they are about to say before they use it. I know that's a ridiculous request, and I don't think that I could even stop using it carelessly, not without incredible patience, but I DO think that people use it without understanding what it really means, or figuring out what it means to them.

I know that there isn’t a sure definition of the word love, but I believe that each person has their own interpretation of what the word means to them. Sometimes it is a way to descirbe your favourite thing or that immense feeling that you have toward something, and you know of no other way to express it. I just know that it’s a beautiful word that needs to be used for those beautiful situations. And love can only come from the heart