Fire Man (©Mark Neville, 2024)

Claim or proclaim unconditional love and, all of a sudden, love becomes conceptual. When something is conceptual it becomes conditional. Whatever I do or you do we will always love each other. Concepts are the sneak-thieves of truth, coercion performing as profound connection.

Take a look at why someone might want a license to print love money and it will serve you well. Unconditional love K-pops up when devotion is demanded and conflict potentially leading to separation is disallowed. Forms of service (military or civil), religious and criminal organisations, families, all comprise groups of people united by an expectation that they must stick together, whatever happens.

Unconditional love emerged out of a cave called FEAR.

Mark photographs an older man standing beside a fire. Fire man. Let him light up your life. Love him or not, or wonder about who or what he loves enough to keep that fire alight, he seems to love something.

Love is always narcissistic. Who feels the love if I say I feel you? Hopefully, if I am being true to you, me. I don’t know if you love me. If I say I love you to be assured that you love me I should keep my mouth shut. If I say I love you, maybe best I say that in whatever way I can, so we might begin to know where we stand.