The most powerful force on the earth is love. It drives everything we do. Whether we notice it or not, it is somehow the reasoning behind all our actions. This power has and will lead people to do both the greatest and worst actions. 

Often when we think of love, we think of it in a positive light. For me, red hearts, dancing, and roses all come to mind. It would be naive however, to forget about the other side of love, the darker side. The side that moves people to start wars, to kill, and to hurt others. I found this is best put into words by Taylor Swift. She says “ And you understand now why they lost their minds and fought the wars And why I’ve spent my whole life trying to put it into words” (Taylor Swift-You are in Love), when singing on what falling in love is truly like. In this lyric she shows its power for both good and evil, causing people to lose their minds, but also moving them to create art. 

This is shown in Othello. His love and lust for Desdemona drives him insane. When Iago convinces him that she is being unfaithful, it pushes him over the edge. Before he kills her, he says “Be thus when thou art dead, and I will kill thee and love thee after. This quote shows his reasoning behind killing her is his love and feeling of betrayal. His love for her drove him to anger at her possible unfaithfulness. 

On a more positive note, love can also push people to do incredible things. In the case of the Mojave Phone Booth, Godfrey (“Doc”) Daniels finds love in the idea of a phone booth in an unreachable area. It causes him to call multiple times a day. A podcast covering the story states,”The mystery became his obsession and he started dialing the number, several times a day, everyday”. Though this might not seem like an incredible act, his perseverance and commitment is awe inspiring. This case is not unique however, nearly everyone shows up, perseveres, and is committed to the people and things they love. When you think about it, this is truly incredible.

Love’s power is not anything new. It has had control of people for hundreds of years. In  Jacob Burckhardt’s book, The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, he explains, “It was common throughout Europe for men to murder their wives because they suspected infidelity and to kill their daughters because they eloped ”. While this is not excusable or acceptable in any way, love is the force that drove these events. In this case it was most likely love of reputation or power. 

We can all agree that love can be wonderful if kept in check. However, it can be way more powerful than we could imagine. Love has a say in everything anybody does and has the ability to create or destroy. It can be worth it, but love is very dangerous.