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| To be or not to be, together in love or marriage?! |
The evolution of love is a revolutionary concept that challenges society's norms. Love teaches us to care for others, extend the range of our thought process, and respect others. While the institution of marriage was never about love, it is essential to humanize the concept of love and marriage to ensure societal progress. Suppressing love breaks the personality of women and challenges the divine nature of who we are as human beings. In short, love is not only a fundamental aspect of human nature but also a revolutionary concept that challenges society to be more humane.
Human evolution is dependent on sexual reproduction, making, love an instinctual feature of all living beings. However, while we may perceive love as instinctual, it is not. Love is a higher cognitive function that teaches us to care for others irrespective of what they do for us in return. It is a control and development of our instincts that extends the range of our thought process beyond quid pro quo. When we love someone, we learn to respect, take care of, and place their needs before our own. Love has taught men to respect women, but the institution of marriage was never about love. Instead, it was about property, wealth, and status.
Throughout history, romantic literature has played a role in humanizing the concept of love and marriage. For example, William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" portrays two individuals who should be together because of their love, not for the sake of their property, wealth, or status. This work of literature instructs readers on how life should be lived.
Love is also a revolutionary concept that challenges society. In regions of the world where the caste system is ubiquitous, controlling love is paramount to the system's stability. Suppressing love is elemental for such a society because marrying according to one's will threatens the fabric of the caste system. In these societies, arranged marriages are often preferred over love marriages because they maintain the stability, prestige, and esteemed pedigree of the family and clan. However, love tales such as Soni Mahiwal, Sussi Punno, Heer Ranjha, Mirza Sahiba, and Shereen Farhad all convey the message that keeping two lovers apart is a crime. A society that is constructed on breaking and crushing the nature and desires of human beings is, in the words of Germaine Greer, a society born to make eunuchs. Such a society molds women against their will, forcing them to marry for the benefit of their clan and suppressing their own desires. This approach breaks the personality of women and hinders societal progress.
اول حمد خدا دا ورد کیجے، عشق کیتا سو جگ دا مول میاں
پہلوں آپ ہی رب نے عشق کیتا ، معشوق ہے نبی رسول میاں
عشق پیر فقیر دا مرتبہ اے، مرد عشق دا بھلا رنجول میاں
کھلے تنہاندے باغ قلوب اندر، جنہاں کیتا اے عشق قبول میاں
- Waris Shah
The wealth of the world was made in love, and God made the world in the worth of love. Therefore, those who stand against love stand against a sacred emotion that defines our divine nature. Violating this emotion is to violate the notion of who we are as human beings.
