Real Love Is Not the Stuff of Love Songs

By: Meghan Mikhail Aisyah Binti Muhamad

Assalamualaikum and a very good morning to the honourable judges, teachers and friends.
My name is Meghan Mikhail Aisyah, I am from SMK Bandar Enstek and the title of my
speech today is ‘Real Love is Not the Stuff of Love Songs’.

Ladies & gentlemen,

Love is an intense feeling of attraction to another person. Emotionally, physically, even
sexually. It takes two to tango, and love is a beautiful thing when it is reciprocated.
You go weak in the knees when the one you love appears on your horizon. You swoon when
he smiles at you. You believe when he tells you he loves you. And he will love you forever.
Strange things happen when you fall in love. You can fly to the moon, you can walk on air,
your head is under water but you are feeling fine.
Crazy silly words form in your brain – which has now turned to mush. You are now truly,
madly, deeply in love.
No, love is not the stuff of love songs.
Love is real between mother and child. Love is real between father and child. Love is real
between brothers and sisters. Family love is the truest kind of love because it is god given, it
is unconditional and it is based on a deep sense of responsibility.
Love is real between teacher and student. A school that has caring and loving teachers will
succeed in building good future men and women. A school of religious teaching will realise
the love of humankind.
A child reacts more quickly to love than to scoldings. One might say ‘spare the rod and spoil
the child’ – but that sentiment belongs only to the past.
The present is largely made of virtual realities. Children reach out to mind blowing images
and teachings on the internet. Nothing is impossible in the realms of virtual reality.
But reality itself? It is contained in our physicalities. Our blood, our cells, every bone and
corpuscle. And this is the greatest love – to love oneself for preservation and progress. The
mind is a finicky thing. It is mercurial. It changes colour and texture. It conjures visons and it
hears many whispers.
But when someone says to you ‘you mean everything to me… I will love you forever, you are
the sun, the moon – and then you get dreamy eyed and all warm and fuzzy.
But love is not the love of love songs.
Love is here. In your body, your mind, you soul. Love that has nurtured and formed by the
people you grow up with. The teachings, the tenants, the laws of humanity is what love is all
about.
I am kind of sweet on one guy, but one the starstruck daze cleared, I begin to see that true
love has to be worked on and worked out. A future to build, a good road to pave. All leading
to the path of the right kind of love.
In the words of Tina Turner’s love song – What Has Love Got to Do With It?