Love. We’re all familiar with the concept, and some of us might actually know what it feels like. But there’s more to this vague, abstract notion, as we discussed at last week’s dinner conversation. I think it’s also very important to share with you that I am absolutely the world’s number one enemy of all things sappy. To my delight, this event did not include much about romantic connections. Instead we talked about love in general: love for places (home), objects (that sentimental old stuffed teddy bear from our childhoods), and people (both family members and life partners). Love, just as is almost every other concept we can define, can be viewed as a social construction. What we seem to think of love is shaped by the world around us–what we observe from others’ lives and what we want for our own lives.

After having been at college for a couple years now, I’ve developed pretty strong feelings about love. I never really saw a value in the concept as a result of the experiences of those around me. I based my entire definition of love on what everyone else thought of it. However, Professor Alvarez pointed out that love is what we make of it (it is a social construction after all). While I do consider myself to be optimistic, I didn’t realize how closed my perspective was. It’s important not to fall into the trap of confining your beliefs due to socially constructed philosophies. Things never should be anything; things simply are. How we perceive them is on us. So I guess this brings me to the point: what is anything, really?