From love to lust: virtue or source of violence?

Dhaka , Bangladesh, March 24 — Benjamin Disraeli said, “We are all born for love...it is the principle existence and it's only end,” while Mother Teresa asserted, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” Mahatma Gandhi said, “Where there is love, there is life.” Plato said, “At the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

In different cultures, in different regions, and in different languages, love obviously echoes in different ways. Love is a simple idea that attracts many diverse interpretations. Writers have tried to portray love on paper, with their own perspective and practice. But love has never been distinguished by any boundaries or definitions.

Love takes many forms. Monuments like the Taj Mahal are the evergreen gifts of love. On the other hand, great souls like Mother Teresa sacrifice their own lives for the love of God. From poets to singers, potters to politicians, popes to pastors, all are busy in the carnival of love. Sometimes love makes us blessed and sometimes, in rejection, love makes us feel rejected. Both emotions are vital to inspire something new.

Love is often related to the word woman. And that added another word: lust. In the term of Love between a man and woman is this possible to nullify sex from love. In different cultures, marriage becomes the safeguard to protect love. Religion puts different logical and theological boundaries to insure the social order. The state introduces and implements new laws to maintain law and order, but all attempts fails. In the name of love, people become humanist, feminist, and dogmatic.

For love, the Prophet Mohammed married several wives, while Jesus never married. Also, some people say that there is no place for lust in pure love. I do question if there can be sexual drive where there is no lust, although you may name it desire. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, said, “I don't think a prostitute is more moral than a wife, but they are doing the same thing.”

Premarital sex and extramarital sex is treated as highly immoral by major religions and in Asian culture. There are those people who will go to different religious worship places and then go to a brothel at night. Religions fail to fulfill the needs of lust and love.

Lust is the result of a defective social system and love is the virtue of the ages. To control society in terms of sex and lust, people introduced laws controlling sex, including the institution of marriage. All the crimes that happen every day are either related to an issue of love or lust. The question now is, is love a virtue or a source of violence?