Love versus symbol of love

A lot of worldly things are learnt through analogies and we often end up mistaking the analogy as the thing itself. Love as an idea is not love. If it is an idea, then it is of thought and in turns measurement and comparison. Love transpires only through complete comprehension, not just intellectually, but with the observation of the whole of desire, attachment and pleasure. In this sense, without self-knowledge, without comprehensions of one’s desires, there cannot be love.