Tatler Indonesia - February 2023

In dieser Ausgabe

Today of all days, let’s take a moment to rejoice in the one thing that makes the world go round! Valentine’s Day was originally intended for the singles among us. A day set aside for people to express their interest in potential suitors has since been taken over by romantic couples. Forget about romantic love. Instead, let us celebrate (and practice) a different kind of love. The practice of celebrating love on 14 February has grown into a global event since the middle of the 18th century. On this day – Valentine’s Day – we are encouraged to celebrate a specific kind of love. A kind of love that is based on a “romantic ideal” involving two people, usually a man and woman, who have “feelings for each other”. But consider this from a broader perspective. It doesn’t have to be romantic, just love, in all its simplistic goodness.
What exactly is love? When we look at the dictionary definition, we see something straightforward, almost tangible. “Love is unconditional selflessness.”
Love is so often celebrated through the creative arts because it’s something intrinsic and present within all living beings. To be loved, you don’t even have to be alive! We love people who have left us or those who have yet to be born. Love is what gives us wings to fly, the motivation to get out of bed in the morning, and the drive to create life. We are hardwired to seek care and connection from the moment we are born. Patterns of encouragement and generosity, or scolding and deprivation, provide cues for relationship building. We learn which behaviours are rewarded with emotional support - and which are not - as early as our first two years of life when we are developing our personalities, memories, and perceptions of the world.