Since the beginning of time people have been trying to figure out love. As we all know, the word "love" is used a great deal in the English language. From loving your significant other, to your parents, to your dog, to a certain flavor of chocolate, it is one of the most over-used adjectives we have.
In What is Love? Perspectives on Love, Fadi Hattendorf takes the time to break down the meaning of the word love, by providing various "learning experiences" that cover all the bases when it comes to marriage, sex, divorce, parenting, and break-ups - issues that each one of us have had to face along the way.
The first point that is made is one we should all know by now. Yes, there is always that feeling of “Once Upon a Time” when you speak about how your life will end up. Whether this comes from the movies or the fairy tales that we read from a young age, that picture of the dashing prince on the white horse is one that is embedded on the brain… until we realize that the glass slipper really didn’t fit.
One story speaks about mistrust, about one woman who is told by many of her friends that her husband is cheating on her, yet she believes only his words. Not only does she find out that her friends were right, but the person her husband was cheating with was one of her friends.
A different perspective comes from a story in which someone is extremely mistrustful of their partner - for more than 15 years - yet still stays with him. This one delves into how a manipulative being can, with lies and the words, “I Love You,” control and hold onto the relationship. The reasoning of staying together for the kids so that they can have a two-parent family, is also another issue explored. But to stay with someone who is harming you and making you feel bad all of the time, certainly rubs off on the children - causing you to rethink whether or not your decision to stay was the correct one.
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