What's love got to do with it?

In trying to wrap my little blogger mind around the topic of love, I've started and stopped a couple to times. Love is one of those subjects, maybe like weight loss?, that have been done to death. The shiny promised land until you learn to read the fine print?

There isn't a monkey on the planet who doesn't recognize love's power and force in making the world go round. Organized religion promotes and perverts it. Madison Avenue pimps and produces it. Educational institutions withhold and award it. Performers crave and earn it.

Love creates people. Loving moms and dads around the world passionately dedicated to a future for their children that is brighter than their own.

Wary of answers and prescriptions, I've experienced love as one big ass mystery. And like any great mystery, it is unknowable from a single perspective and takes eons to unfold. The characters and stories loop infinitely through every culture on our little blue marble. Love is at the center of every story - in either it's anticipation, presence or absence.

Love is as big as one of those "fish don't know they're in water" things.

Love is so huge that only crazy poets would try to unwind it. And while I get the pure brilliance of wonderful poetry, I often have a hard time reading it straight up. A manifestation of the modern day malady of attentional fractionation?

So, wrapping the poetry around a spoonful of music opens up the lyrical play books packed by modern bards as a fertile source of clues. Some sophisticated audiophiles can grab the directions straight from the music, but the majority of us need a little more input. And those of you who can read poetry straight up, please dive in without the beat.

Modern muse Tina Turner posed one of the best questions I've ever considered on the topic.

If we ask ourselves what is love's motivation, can we ever be far from the flow of life?

There isn't a conundrum in my mind, a duality, an argument, riddle, power struggle, situation or lesson, that isn't completely undone by asking myself "what's love got to do with it?" How is this dilemma on love's agenda?

Look into ancient and modern horrors - genocide, terrorism, environmental devastation, starvation, poverty, corrupt and despotic governments?

What's love got to do with these?

Love is missing. And we cannot punish the world into peace. Only love can bring peace.

There isn't a stable resolution to these tragedies from a place of hatred and fear.

Look into the blessings of life - health, family, dancing, breathing, dark chocolate, laughter, flat shoes, sunshine, music, yoga.

All of joy is grounded in love.

In response to Tina's inquiry?

Everything.