The Nature of Love is Freedom
Love is hard to define, but many wise thinkers have offered beautiful insights.
For me personally, I’ve learned the most from Erich Fromm’s The Art of Loving, which is practically a textbook on “how to love.” “Most people see the problem of love primarily as being loved, rather than as loving,” he wrote. But what shook me even more was Sadhguru’s blunt observation: “Love is not a transaction. If we approach someone out of need — whether psychological, physical, economic, or social — then we are beggars. And beggars have no choice.”
That’s why Osho said, “Be a king in love.” A king is someone who has the capacity to share, but does not beg for anything. Thich Nhat Hanh, in How to Love, noted: “When we say ‘I love you,’ we usually focus on the ‘I’ rather than the quality of love itself… Even after the moment has passed and that person has gone, happiness can still remain.”
“Love is the capacity to arouse love.” — Erich Fromm
At this book fair, we have set up two mailboxes: one for letters, and one for envelopes. Blank envelopes and stationery are available on-site. Readers can write down their feelings about love and place the letter in the mailbox for envelopes; then put an addressed envelope into the other mailbox. After the fair ends, we will randomly pair and mail them out, allowing participants to exchange feelings with one another.
You are free to decide whether to include your name and contact information on the envelope. If you treat this as a tree hollow to confide your feelings, then simply expressing yourself is enough — no reply is required. Or, if you see it as a chance to meet someone new, you can freely leave clues for contact on your letter (though there’s no guarantee of a response). Like a message in a bottle, whether or not anyone picks it up, it is still an expression.
Love is filled with many flavors, which is precisely why it is intoxicating — and sometimes frustrating. I’m reminded of a beautiful line from the novel The Man from the Edge of Time: “A kiss is like music. It can stop time…”
Love is also like a mirror that shows us who we are. In Conversations with God II, there’s a helpful reminder: “Who am I being in this relationship? Who do I choose to be?”
In the end, the essence of love is freedom. After all, only those who do not truly love will seek to imprison or harm someone, or act against their will. Many people harm others in the name of love, but that is not real love. Love is a quality within ourselves.
“The word ‘love’ is beautiful; we must restore its true meaning.” — Thich Nhat Hanh
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— Hui-Chen Li, Curator of a reader
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Time: "a reader Love Bookstore": July - end of August, 2025
Address: No. 2, Lane 16, Section 1, Wuchang Street, Taipei (Aplace WCH)
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