The Cricket World Cup final’s loss taught me a lot about Love
On 19th November, India lost another World Cup final despite playing extraordinarily well throughout the tournament. As they say, ‘a bad day at the office.’ Unfortunately, the bad day was on the World Cup final’s big occasion.
As a crazy cricket fan, that loss still hurts. But this is not the first time I have seen India lose in a big tournament like this. And still, every time I support the team and hope they will win this time.
I was introspecting, despite so many losses and disappointment why can't I stop watching Cricket? Why don’t I mind my own business and get on with my work? If I hadn't followed cricket, I would have spared myself from so many heartbreaks. But then the answer is, I just love the game. I love the players who represent the game and the country. I am emotionally attached to the action happening on the ground. That's it!
That brings me to the point, Love is not pleasure. Love has never been a pleasure. Love is anxiety, excitement, and hope that something should go well. Love is anticipation, failure, disappointment, and heartbreak. In Short, Love is unpredictability.
Love is not because of something, Love is in spite of something. I didn’t love my team because they were doing well. I love my team in spite of their big failure in the finals. And that is the brand of Love everywhere in our life. That is the very characteristic of love. It is an irreversible emotional process that goes on irrespective of the outcome. The joy is in the process, not in the result.
If I love someone just to gain pleasure, pride, or boost my ego then I can’t call myself a lover. Then, I am an opportunist. Be it a team or a person, I can’t select only positive emotions and experiences while in Love. I also might have to go through depression, dejection, disappointment, and despair.
Neither the Cricket team nor the love had promised me all the success and happiness. I chose to get involved emotionally with them. It was my willingness to invest emotions, time, and energy in it. Then Why should I complain?
To love someone is to be with them in spite of their weaknesses and bad days. To support them no matter what happens. but as I read somewhere,
“The problem is, that everyone is looking for unconditional love, carrying a bag full of conditions.”
Life is never fair for those who are in love. The road ahead is full of pain and heartbreaks. There will be highs and happiness also. But nothing is certain. Nothing is guaranteed. Those who want security and surety should stay away from love.
We should get ready to be vulnerable all the time. We should be ready to shed our ego and identity.
So I have prepared myself for another final loss in the future. The team may not do well. but that's okay. Success can never be a precondition to love someone. Isn't It?
