PARIS REMOVES LOVE LOCKS FROM BRIDGE: LOVE NEVER FAILS (1319 hits)
On Monday, Parisian officials began to remove the famous 'Love Locks' from Pont des Arts bridge. This 19th century structure began to show signs of significant stress, thus something had to be done. What was done was the removal of over one million locks weighting 45 metric tons. The weight of symbolic love was too much to bear for a historic bridge, so the locks parted ways with the bridge in order that the structure might not crumble.
According to tradition, couples write their name on the padlocks and then throw the key into the Seine River as a symbol of their undying adoration. 'In sickness and in health' is starkly pictured as these couples throw the key, showing everyone that they would rather be miserable together than happily apart. 'Till death do we part' is vividly manifested on the bridge, demonstrating with their throw that they would rather be uncomfortable with each other and comfortable without. And to those who take a lonely walk across it, the locks are tangible reminders that love is real, its power is profound, and its commitment is enduring.
Removing locks is a tedious task, but eliminating symbols of love is a cautious endeavor. In a world that seems to be saturated with hate and lacking in love, we fight for these glorious lights in a dark world. Love is ferociously defended, and openly welcomed. With open hands we receive it, with clenched fists we fight to let go of it.
We do so because love is almost unexplainable. It blindsides us, coming out of nowhere. It is something we fall into and, if necessary, painfully walk away from. It causes sly smirks but leaves us at a loss for words.
Losing the appearance that we have it all together, love leaves us vulnerably exposed, but uncharacteristically okay with this predicament because it allows for a deeper commitment. Italian writer Ceasar Pavese wrote, "You will be loved the day when you will be able to show your weakness without the person using it to assert his strength."
So it is highly ironic that a bridge would be on the verge of crumbling under the weight of love. Love is a powerful, heavy commitment that involves great sacrifice but entails an even greater reward – the beloved. Inclusive with its invitation and exclusive with its commitment, love is available to everyone but requires you to commit when you have found your one.
In a couple of days, we might be losing a bridge of love, but we are not losing the concept of love. A historic symbol of love will vanish from the horizon, but it will leave space for new expressions to populate in its place.
As nightfall was approaching, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus – the one who loved. The weight of sin had crushed Jesus on cross, but it created an outpouring of love in the heart of Joseph. Taking his body, he gave the dead Jesus his tomb, and perfumed his body with myrrh and aloes before wrapping it in linen clothes. The God-man who loved greatly might have been dead, but the man who had been loved deeply was not. As a result, Joseph's love rippled across a hopeless landscape and continues to have impact today.
The power of love not only spanned across thousands of years, but also raised that once dead man to life. The spices that anointed his body testified in the nostrils of men that love is more powerful than they could imagine. Greater than a lock on a fence is the service of a saint. Parting is such sweet sorrow, but in the kingdom of heaven, goodbyes are always temporary and love always wins.
