It’s perhaps the most mainstream idea in the world that has lived in our media and consumed our society, lives, and passions for as long as we’ve had them. It can make us blind, drive us crazy, and leave us begging for more. The fact is, love is what drives us. For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, it’s what we all crave. Whether romantic, platonic, motherly, or brotherly, we all have it and we all want it. It’s a complicated thing, whether we will ever truly understand it or not I’ll likely never know. I do however know, that this is what binds us humans, though it can tear us apart just as easily. 

So what makes something so beautifully dangerous, and why is it we can’t stay away? The answer is simple: we humans are social creatures. We crave connection. It’s a powerful thing, so much so, that people are willing to do almost anything for it. Godfrey Daniels knows this well as his little obsession with a phone booth in the Mojave Desert turned into an unexpected hub of anonymous connection around the world. People loved it. There was something desirable about being able to talk and tell your story to strangers where it “wasn’t about the content…it’s just the connection.” However, there are always two sides to a coin, and love and connections don’t always lead to fairy-tale endings. Daniels’ Mojave phone booth was torn down after gaining too much traction and causing a disruption. Left to nothing but a memory Daniels still doesn’t know if he regrets what happened with the booth. Unfortunately, the destruction of a desert phone booth is not the extent of damage that can be done from a desire to love. 

History has shown us what jealousy can do. The tradition of killing your wife if she cheats is present throughout the past. It’s dreadful but was accepted and encouraged at a time. Love can blind us, and make us vulnerable. Of course, there is a certain beauty and strength in vulnerability, but it has risk just as much as strength. With love can come jealousy and desperation capable of driving one mad. It’s hard to find a story that doesn’t involve love, it’s so enticing that it’s in almost every piece of media and the repercussions involved make for a dreadfully good plot. Shakespeare’s Othello infamously demonstrates the countless ways love can blind you and the disastrous effects it can have. Characters like Roderiego were left desperate and vulnerable to manipulation; others like Othello himself, were driven mad by jealousy to the point of no return. A series of little misinformations and manipulations turned love into tragedy. It’s what Shakespeare does best, and we just can’t get enough.

A quote from William Shakespeare’s Othello.

We all want to love and to be loved, but no one wants to get hurt. With love and connection, there is always a risk of heartbreak or something far worse. Yet still, it’s all anyone wants because without risk there is no reward. We have to be wary not to be consumed by our passions, but to love is to be strong. So love yourself, love those around you, and remember the strength of the heart.