Life Lines

"The supreme happiness in life is the conviction we are loved."--Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo may have gotten it right. The strong belief that one is loved is life's supreme happiness.

Can you think of anything other than love? Winning the lottery? The lottery can give you a lot, but it can't give love. Narrowly escaping a life-threatening situation? Definitely profound relief, but not supreme happiness. Comparisons pale.

Love, because of its encompassing meanings, covers the range of our humanity: mate
al love for a child; sexual desire; affection based on admiration; assurance of love; a beloved person; warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion; the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration.

It ranges from "I love my child" to "I love working on Wall Street!"

Who and what we love is much who we are. We are, in effect, enveloped by the objects of our affection. "I'm in love" closely captures the phenomenon. We're "in"--included--in who (and what) we love.

This is why some forms of love reach supreme and transcendental realms. It's not chopped liver. It is the giver of the highest felicity and contentment life offers, regardless of other conditions of our life.

"Who, being loved, is poor?"--Oscar Wilde