l gave a presentation on the Romantic Garden last week. I realized that I have never investigated where the word love comes from and when it first appeared. The articles say it originated around 4000 BCE. I didn’t see anywhere how it actually first appears.
Tracing the Lineage:
*Proto-Indo-European (PIE) Root (leubh-): The earliest known source, signifying care or desire.
Latin: Developed into lubet (it pleases) and lubido/libido (desire, lust).
Proto-Germanic (**lubo): The ancestor of Germanic words for love, joy, and dear.
Old English (lufu): Directly evolved from Proto-Germanic, encompassing deep affection, romance, and divine love.
Modern English (love): The familiar word emerged from lufu, with meanings broadening to include fondness, a beloved person, and intimate acts.
This seems a modern and clinical sort of view of this most important and essential of human experiences and emotions. Maybe I am thinking of divine love and eternal love.
One article says: “While human love is often conditional and changes, both divine and eternal love represents higher, spiritual state that can be cultivated to overcome selfishness and fear.”
From there it gets very complicated to my mind. Christian love vs Yogic traditions seem at odds. Here’s an AI quote that seems useful: Christian love builds relationships with God and others, while Yogic paths dissolve the self into the universal Beloved…
Is that enough research for the day? I think so. Maybe not. Here are some silly jokes to illustrate our Western cynical view of the Other:
The Donut Dilemma: Why don’t yogis like donuts? They lack their inner piece.
What do yoga meditation and an apple peeler have in common? They both take you to the core.
What do yoga meditation and a fudge cake have in common? They each bring you a piece/peace of heaven.
Here’s a perfect image for our modern and Western version of love - Romantic love graffiti on a guard rail at St. Clair and Yonge - long gone, definitely not eternal.
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