Like/Love Actually

Is it possible to love someone without liking them? I've often pondered this question myself and found that the answer is...yes. But before we get to the details, why don't we define like and love.

Love - a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.

Like - to find pleasant or attractive; enjoy.

Reading the definition above, one might say that the former is a more intense feeling than the latter. Love is like multiplied ten-fold, it seems. And one cannot love someone without liking them.

But I've realized that you don't always like someone you love. Parents and siblings, for example, are the perfect case study. You cannot help but love them and yet, you cannot stand their company at times. It may have something to do with the saying, "familiarity breeds contempt" but I believe it's more of "too much of a good thing."

Maybe that's why friendships seem to last longer than romance. Friends are there because they want to be, not because they need to be. And one does not make assumptions of the friendship that often lead to misunderstandings and jealousies.

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Love Actually showcases the loves we often see but never really appreciate. It stars a group of England's most well-known actors and actresses such as Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Rowan Atkinson and many more. What makes this move so moving is that it does not just showcase romantic love but love in all it's forms...includings its complications.

Take for example, Laura Linney's character who finally gets the guy she wants but ends up letting go of it because of family duties. Or Liam Neeson, who plays a recently widowed stepfather who helps his son pursue the love of his life. Or what about Bill Nigh's portryal of an aging rockstar, confessing to his "big, fat manager" that he is the love of his life. The stories of the characters in this movie are so real and yet, so idealistic that it's hard to explain why aren't our lives (or is it, our loves) as well written or well thought out.

I found myself thinking that if I had been in Andrew Lincoln's place, I would have done the same thing. I would have gone out on a limb to tell her I loved her even if I knew there was no way of us ending up together.

Oh, wait, I already did that...