February is upon us - the internationally recognized month of love. We find ourselves face to face with paper doilies, candy hearts and dreams of roses and chocolates.  Some of us will profess our love to special people in our lives, while others of us are just as happy curling up with our dog or cat and watching a good movie.  It's all love and it's all good.  But is it always?

Loving can be risky business.  The Oxford English dictionary defines love as "an intense feeling of deep affection," but it says nothing about making that affection public knowledge.  I checked several other dictionaries and none of them mention the need to trot your love out in light of the day to validate it either.  No wonder.  Making your love known to the world requires a shot of courage. 

Whether we're speaking of the love of another human being, a country, a philosophy or even an inanimate object, it takes courage to pronounce your love.  Since the emotion is so intensely personal, and making it public opens one up to a plethora of scrutiny and criticism, it seems to me that the measure of true love is doing just that.  Being willing to say "This is who or what I love.  Now go ahead, take your best shot at me," and then standing on the world's stage as the target of rotten tomatoes.  Or worse.

Our world is full of examples of that kind of courageous love.  Every major religion has stories of a person or entity who gave up that which was most precious (often their lives) for the courageous love of his or her faith.  Our founding fathers and mothers faced torture and death for the courageous love of this country, and every generation since has had martyrs who died for the same cause.  Families and nations have been joined together or torn apart as a result of lovers from opposite camps being willing to courageously proclaim their feelings. 

Happily, the benefits of loving courageously are far more overwhelming than the risks.  Being courageous enough to love an unwanted animal can bring an incalculable amount of unconditional love in return. Being courageous enough to love an unpopular person can change that person's life, who may in turn change the lives of many others.  And being courageous enough to love an unpopular philosophy has been known to change the world. 

Hopeless romantics, unite with me!  Proclaim your love courageously and we'll become hopeful romantics together.  Happy Valentine's Day!