The Chemicals Between Us: What Hormones Can Teach Us About Love
“People give flowers as presents because flowers contain the true meaning of love. Anyone who tries to possess a flower will have to watch its beauty fading. But if you simply look at a flower in the field, you’ll keep it forever.” ~ Paulo Coelho
Romance is often depicted as the highest goal in pop culture with passion being a means to an end.
From childhood, I can recall dramatic moments in 80s music and film like “Roxanne, you don’t have to put on the red light,” and an image of Lloyd Dobler holding a boombox high above his head, winning over not only the girl, but a generation.
These passionate pleas portray “not taking no for an answer” as the epitome of sweetness. In real life, that kind of co-dependent sentiment tends to create more chaos than connection, but the cultural conditioning adds another layer of confusion to love.