Just Your Heart

There's a movie I really like - it's hilarious but can be really deep at parts. It's called Stardust, and one of my favorite scenes is the monologue Yvaine gives to Tristan, after he's been turned into a rat. She doesn't think he can understand her, so she's less inhibited in what she says (isn't that how we all are?). Here's what she says.

"You know when I said I knew little about love? That wasn't true. I know a lot about love. I've seen it...centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate... It made me want to turn away and never look down again.

"But when I see the way that mankind loves... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful. So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing, and... What I'm trying to say, Tristan is... I think I love you.

"Is this love, Tristan? I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to you. And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine.

What do we expect in love? Do we expect others to prove their love for us? I hope not, but can we ask for a little confirmation that they love us in return? So we know our heart hasn't been given in vain? Is that okay? In the movie Across the Universe, the main girl sings a song about the main guy, telling him that she wants to be in love with him, but she's been in love before and is worried... here's what the lyrics are (all the songs in this movie are Beatles songs, by the way):

If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true
And help me understand
'cause I've been in love before
And I found that love was more
Than just holding hands

If I give my heart to you
I must be sure
From the very start
That you would love me more than her

If I trust in you, oh please
Don't run and hide
If I love you too, oh please
Don't hurt my pride like her
'cause I couldn't stand the pain
And I would be sad if our new love was in vain

So I hope you see that I
Would love to love you
And that she will cry
When she learns we are two
cause I couldn't stand the pain
and I would be sad if our new love was in vain

Kinda sad, but I think when your heart has been broken before, it tends to make you more cautious, and you want more of a reassurance that it's going to be better this time. But ultimately, if you truly love someone, you feel like Yvaine did.

"And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange - no gifts. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."