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Love

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In Letters to a Young Poet, Rilke argues that Love requires a purely private response because Labels create the bondage of dogmas. Since Modern society is desensitized to sex and has an obsession with it, the experience of love becomes corrupted.

Bell Hook's argument in All About Love echoes Rilke's sentiments on the corruption of love in modern society, yet her argument presents an opposing angle. Rather than striving for a private response, she argues that reaching a consensus on the definition of love is important because it creates a starting point for conversation. Without proper terms to describe love, loss becomes easier to talk about than love. Hence, she defines love as a mixture of care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment, trust, and communication to counter the phenomena that Love has become dominated by consumerist culture. Her method of returning to love involves breaking down the patriarchy, which Rilke mirrors with his call to turn inwards instead of succumbing to societal shackles.

Ultimately, though there are disagreements about the act of defining love itself, Love is deeply rooted in spirituality. Both agree that Love is rooted in solitude, with hooks stating, "Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving."

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