Jamie Englert-Outside Reading 2

Lately, I have been reading a lot of C.S. Lewis. I recently got a book that is a collection of his writings on certain topics. A particular one about love stuck out to me. "There is no safe investment. To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of selfishness. But in that casket-safe, dark, motionless, airless-it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell" (excerpt from his Four Loves). There are several things I really like about this quote. For example,I like how blunt Lewis is. He doesn't beat around the bush on this topic or sugar coat it by say loving something will always be perfect and painless. He describes love as taking a risk and being vulnerable, all while knowing that it may not end well. Choosing to play it safe and blocking yourself off in hopes to avoid possible tragedy, is a worse option in his eyes and I agree. In that "coffin of selfishness," your heart will become cold and bitter, not allowing anything to cause it to soften. I believe feelings of empathy, compassion and encouragement would completely disappear. Fellowship with anything would be impossible. Comparing this state to Hell is completely accurate. Life without love would be lonely, miserable and hopeless. The original intention to protect oneself would ultimately become their self destruction. We were not meant to live life alone. We have the ability to love because God first loved us. Why would anyone choose not to accept that gift?