When I first sat down to write this article, I felt confident because everyone knows what love is… right?

The complexities of the meaning of this small, four-letter word became overwhelming. I soon discovered there are so many varieties of Love and multiple ways to apply it that all draw on varied emotions. I asked myself how I could possibly sort out my thoughts on this tiny, yet enormous word. I researched the dictionary meaning, talked to people for their interpretation and finally went to the bible for references and explanations. The more I researched the more I realized how complex love really was.

There are the standard garden varieties of love, such as: male/female, parent/child, friend/friend, man/country, man/nature, man/life, man/God, etc. We are taught from birth on about these varieties of love from parents, friends, church and society. This is the type of love most often thought about and understood, although all of us may not put this type of love into practice.

It was while researching this soft and emotional word that I came upon the dark side of its definition.  This is the side least thought about (and the reason will become apparent). This variety of love is less obvious. The following are some examples: love of power, control, money, mind altering drugs and alcohol, hate, revenge, greed, your neighbors possessions (material and/or spouse), strife, fear, sex, pleasure and ego to name a few. I discovered, to my complete amazement, that the list of negative-based love was much longer that the positive-based love. After contemplating this fact for some time, I was even more amazed to realize that there were times when I used the dark side of love to fulfill my "I wants". This realization was much too complicated and my whole being wanted to avoid writing this article. From this research with all it's twists and turns and revealing truths, I found that I was not too happy with myself.

It was then that I turned my thoughts to my highly advanced spiritual team of aliens on board the Peace Ship. I started to recall the spiritual training we had been getting from them and the many years of self-examination/analysis with which they have helped and encouraged us. One evening when I was at an all time low, caused by my newly discovered faults and blunders, I remembered what we had been told about mistakes. We were told that a mistake is only a mistake when you have not learned from it. 

As I rode the roller coaster of emotion back up again to find my "at peace" spot, I learned the most important lesson about love; love is not complex at all. The meaning of love has always been as simple as a one-celled ameba. It may be constantly changing shape, but it remains the same…simple. It was not love that was complicated, but the misuse of love and it's results and repercussions. This all starts with the human free-will choice; to choose the light or the dark side of love.

This brought to mind one of the most valuable spiritual lessons I have learned from our alien friends. We know that our job on this planet is to spread love and light, but we were in a quandary as to how to go about this task freely and without offending others. After researching and talking our theories to death, we turned to our alien friends for advice. Their answer, like love, was simple; maybe you should just quit talking about it and just be it …do something.

In conclusion, I went back to my basic training as a child. I was told as a youngster that if I loved my fellow man as I loved God, then that would encompass all of the commandments and would be all I needed to know and follow. It is and always has been… that simple.