Thursday, February 14, 2008 What we really need is love By Henrylito D. Tacio Regarding Henry
JUST what is love? I Corinthians 13:1-8: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love I gain nothing Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Post here your Valentine's Day greetings
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away..."
The 13th verse says it all: "And now these things remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."
Willi Hoffsuemmer tells the story of an intelligent young king who ordered all the learned professors of his kingdom to gather and write down all the wisdom of the world. They got right down to work and 40 years later, they had a thousand books packed with wisdom.
The king, who had meantime reached 60 years of age, told them, "I cannot possibly read a thousand books. Reduce all that wisdom to basics."
After 10 more years, the professors reduced the world's wisdom to a hundred volumes. "That's still too much," the king said. "I'm already 70 years old. Condense all that wisdom into absolute essentials."
So the wise men tried again and squeezed al the wisdom of the world into just one book. But by that time, the king was lying on his deathbed. So, the leader of the committee summarized the condensed book to just one sentence: "People live, they suffer, they die. The only thing that outlives them is love."
This inscrutable thing called love has been with us since time immemorial. In fact, thousands, if not millions, of poems have been written on this subject matter.
A lot of songs have also been written about love. Eric Carmen croons: "Love is all that matters." Perry Como believes, "Love makes the world go round." Kenny Rogers agrees, "Love will turn you round." However, the Eagles thinks that "love will keep us alive." Peabo Bryson knows that "love always find a way."
Some love songs beg. "Love me for what I am," the Carpenters suggest. "Love me tender," Elvis Presley urges. "Love me tonight," Tom Jones adds. Engelbert Humperdinck reiterates, "Love me with all of your heart."
Meanwhile, he was one of the most sought-after bachelors in Europe. Then, at a house party, he met Mrs. Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American who was married to her second husband, a London shipping broker. As fate would have it, he was smitten by her. He asked whether she missed American central heating. She replied, "I'm sorry, sir, but you disappoint me... Every American woman who comes to your country is always asked the same question. I had hoped for something more original from the Prince of Wales."
In January 1936, when King George V died, his son -- the Prince of Wales - became the king. He was known as King Edward VIII. Before long, rumors circulated about his alleged romance with Mrs. Simpson.
On October 20, Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin counseled Edward, as king and head of the Church of England, to remove all cause for the rumors. A week later Mrs. Simpson was granted a divorce, to become final in six months.
In November, King Edward confided to Baldwin that he intended to marry Mrs. Simpson even if it meant his abdication. A morganatic marriage was proposed, but the cabinet was unwilling to accept this compromise. On December 11, 1936, therefore, the king abdicated in favor of his brother, the Duke of York, who became King George VI. Edward received the title Duke of Windsor and married Mrs. Simpson in June 1937.
"But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love," Edward was quoted as saying.
See, what love can do -- a king gave up his throne for the woman he loved? "Love comes from the most unexpected places," says a line of a song. Virgil in 'Ecologues, X,' wrote: "Omnia vincit Amor; et nos cedamus Amori." ("Love conquers all; let us too yield to Love.") For comments, write me at henrytacio@gmail.com.
