From igniting passion to fostering companionship, love is the driving force behind our deepest desires and aspirations

What could be more important than love? Nothing like love to make life that much more meaningful and worthwhile. It imbues it with that extra and special meaning. Things become that much more precious because you have this person in your life. And because she/he is there, life is truly worth living and you want things to be as close to perfect as possible. Even when one is a positive thinker with a positive outlook on things, love makes it infinitely more so.

Love is truly a many splendoured thing. It changes everything. Like every time there is a world shaking or life changing invention. This is akin to that. It makes the world go around. When you hear music you think of the other person. You think of how it would be without her and how lucky you are that she is there. How beautiful that she is there. It works the same way in other art forms. Cinema becomes compelling because of the love story or sometimes the love triangle, a novel creates empathy and becomes a page turner because you want to know what happens to the love interest, a painting – the nubile nude lying there languorously might be your lover. Opera of course has it as its life blood. It makes the rainbows more intense and the clouds more ethereal – fleecy white clouds scattered at random, the sky more azure blue.

A fundamental human need is not to be alone. Which is why solitary confinement is such a feared punishment. And love provides the most special companionship of all. You get up in the morning and you know the other person is there in your life. To complete it. To make the sunsets and the dawns more beautiful.

You live not just for yourself but also for another human being who is not your parent and in a different way. Everything you do you think of its implication for the other person too. Your perspective changes as does your thinking and way of relating.

The downside is the devastation that follows when one leaves the other which both thought could never happen, not so long ago. Or even the parting for a little while. You miss the other one so much. It’s hard to breathe though you may have been perfectly happy before. Half the love songs are about the longing for love. The longing for the loved one when she is not there. No bigger muse than separation for poems and creativity.

Falling in love fundamentally changes your life and is a coup de foudre when it is at first sight. “Would you believe in a love at first sight? Yes, I’m certain that it happens all the time. What would you do if I turned off the light, I can’t tell you, But I know it’s mine…” as the Beatles sang. Love, the essence of life's beauty, infuses existence with profound significance. It elevates moments, rendering them precious with the presence of a cherished companion.

Love, akin to a revolutionary invention, alters perspectives, making every aspect of life vibrant. It intertwines with art, music, and literature, enriching them with its essence. Love fulfills the innate human need for companionship, making each sunrise more meaningful. Yet, its departure brings profound sorrow, amplifying the ache of absence. Nonetheless, love's impact is undeniable, transforming lives with its enchanting magic, whether through enduring bonds or fleeting encounters. Love, indeed, remains life's most extraordinary treasure.

(The writer is an author and and entrepreneur; views are personal)