To this day, I do not have a clear definition of love.  To attribute the same meaning and value of the “love” I have for my family to the “love” I have for pizza simply does not make sense.  The different levels and complexities of love are oftentimes unclear, difficult to articulate and misinterpreted.  This past week’s event on how we love opened up a discussion on various perspectives of unconditional and conditional love; what assumptions we hold about the actions of giving and accepting love; and how these assumptions affect our daily interactions.  Through our discussion, I realized the extremely contradictory nature of love.  Firstly, it is both deeply intimate, reaching the most personal and vulnerable sides of people, and widely public.  Secondly, it captures feelings of warmth and comfort, yet it also creates fear and requires courage.  Thirdly, love has the ability to unify strangers and sustain bonds, while unrequited love is capable of tearing relationships apart.  The list could go on; however, despite all of its contradictions, love is ultimately one of the greatest intangibles.  It is a transformative experience, a personal journey, and an invaluable sacrifice to share and honor to receive.