Love.

Love. Passion. Desire. Imagine a world without any of this. No wanting someone, but no getting let down when they don’t want you back. No waiting for someone you long for, but no heartbreak when they don’t show up. No getting that jittery feeling when you see them, but no hurt when you realize they don’t feel that, too. No, anything, no everything. Nothing.

           

Love is a gamble. You put your heart on the line hoping someone will take it. You risk years of terrible heartbreak for a life of long lasting love. Some people are scared, it’s understandable. That kind of hurt may take a while to recover from, however, if you ask anyone who has been in love, they’ll tell you it’s worth it.

            Though you cannot ask a citizen of the Community in The Giver, for the reason that they do not know of love. With every love, there comes hurt. A hurt in which they don’t believe in. The council made absolutely sure that they could eliminate anything and everything that may risk pain, sorrow and difference. So a pill was created to suppress the hormones of the consumer. Without love there is no hurt. Without hurt there is no mourning. And without mourning there is no difference.

            Even though the suffering with heartbreak may be worth it in the end, it surely will create problems for you along the way. The feeling you get when someone tells you you’re not good enough could hurt you beyond your imagination. The sense of thought when you wish you could be better or what things would be like if you never went your separate ways. None of this is a factor to the people of the community thanks to the pill.

            With this pill and this rule stating that you may not love, teenagers and adults don’t have to worry about unnecessary distractions and drama. With their focus off of other citizens, they would be able concentrate more on things such as academics. Regardless to say that relationships come with a lot of drama. Disapproval and jealousy from your friends, family, and collogues can stir up a whole bunch of problems, and break ups hardly ever end well. Fights break out and soon enough someone will get sad or mad, or different.

            A life without love. Just imagine. Your first instinct may be that it is a terrible idea and everyone deserves a chance to love and be loved. But if you take a step back and just think. Is it?