Vincent Owino

THIS ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT CAMPUS ‘LOVE’

‘Love is a beautiful thing’, so says the singer Willy Paul. George Sand, an ancient French novelist, as well once said, ‘there is only one happiness in this world, to love and to be loved’. Wow! Only one! This makes love the most beautiful thing ever in the history of humanity. Love indeed is beautiful. What makes a man happier than the feeling of being deeply loved, or a woman madder than the thought of being truly loved? Love is more beautiful than every treasure or pleasure the human heart may crave for, more satisfying than every material thing we might ever long for.

Love is an inevitable part of human life. As it is often said, human beings are social beings. Once you find yourself in a group of so many people, you can never stop yourself from falling in love. Well, campus is one such places where not being in ‘love’ is considered an abnormality. Actually, it can be ascertained that 99% percent of campus students are either in a relationship, in relationships, or have once been in a relationship or relationships. Moreover, based on statistical evidence, it can be affirmed further that an insignificant number of university students, graduate without ever getting into a relationship in campus. It is thus appropriate to put forth that love, or rather relationships form an important part of campus and life of a university student. Campus relationships come in two forms, inter-campus and intra-campus. What is the difference between the two?

Inter-campus relationships are those that involve two people rom two different universities, while intra-campus involve two people from the same university. I might not have a lot to say about the former, because in my own opinion, if two young people, in universities, where sex is a daily meal, can be in love and successfully, patiently and faithfully maintain a healthy relationship, despite the distance between them, then it is irrefutable that the relationship is a responsible one, with a future.

I might have a lot to say about the latter, except for how they begin. How do they even begin by the way? Do the two begin by flirting when they meet in the library, or become friends first as they advance procedurally? Do they begin by I like you, you amaze me, then I love you? Or do they begin by you’re so hot, or cute, or whatever the hell your physical appearance communicates? Well, I am worried about how they begin, because I do know how they end. They end in a quarrel, insults, tears, heartbreaks, groans, pregnancies, abortions, STIs, flops, uselessness, emptiness, bankruptcy, and most sadly, forgotten identities.

We never know the first thing about love while entering these relationships. Love is not a test experiment, or a trial. We are always so consumed with the illusion that love is a beautiful thing that we forget that it is us who are supposed to make it beautiful. We enter relationships without remembering that falling in love is an irreversible step. Singer Warren Barfield in his song ‘Love is not a fight’ says, “Love is not a place, to come and go as we please. It’s a place we enter in, and commit to never leave.” So, what in the face of this world makes you think you can love anyone anytime and leave whenever you feel disgusted? That is not love.

You see, campus ‘love’ perhaps has the shortest lifespan in the history of humanity. Shorter than the lifespan of new year resolutions, or of a campus student’s sober moments. They have no commitments at all, they are always like a house built on sand; falls at the blow of the slightest wind. They are always built on deception; how can we ever expect them to stand? They are meant for trial, and perfection of bedroom skills, how can anything good come out of them? So, what’s my point? My point is, love never exists in campus relationships. They are simply an expression of people’s own interests and lusts, which once satisfied, the wind blows away the relationship, leaving scars and regrets that will take a lifetime to heal.

Wondering what the one thing I love about campus ‘love’ is? Well, here is the thing: It never really exists. I happen to love things which are deluded to exist, yet they don’t. My hope is that campus students realize the weight held in the simple phrase “I LOVE YOU”, and be very careful before letting them out of their lips, and most importantly before letting them out of their heart. Choose very carefully the one you say them to, because you will never really take them back. The choices we make in campus, are those whose consequences we will live with for the rest of our lives, so be careful!