Understanding Love, Part 3/7

Translate/ Terjemahan: Indonesia

Covenant love is a love that is based on a personal choice. People are often belief in a myth that regards love as phenomena that is just happened by itself ("In love" experience Aka. Obsessive love). By believing in this, they conclude that love does not require any work to be done by us. However, the expense of believing in this lie is a self destruction on their relationship. A person who based their marriage on feeling ("In love" experience) have always had a tendency to look for another partner once they do not felt any love for/ by their peer. (Remember obsessive kind of love only lasted for 2 years)

Contrast to the fact above, let me tell you a story that I know. In past, I met a 70+ years old couple in a restaurant. They were spending their quality time by holding each another hand and talking romantically. The husband noticed that I’m observing them and he took his initiative to say hello to me. I greet him back and told him that he had done the sweetest thing I have ever seen. He smile and told me that they have been married since he was 17 years old (his wife is two years younger than him). I’m amazed, because it is fairly rare to find such a long lasting relationship nowadays. I took my courage to ask him if he cared to share his secret. He told me with a big smile on his face, “It is my choice to love her”.

The lasting love is the love that oriented not in one feeling but on choice. We need to choose to care for each other, to understand each other, and to reflect and change our character for the sake of others (relationship). By saying this, I do not implied that romantic feeling does not important, but one need to make sure they do exercise self-control in order to avoid obsessive behaviour in their love life.

Cont. to Part 4/7