Gravitation and Love

This morning I asked my dear wife: “Do you know what attracts me to you, binds us all, brings stability to the world, is never repulsive, and lights up the stars in heaven?”  “Love!” she exclaimed.  “Gravitation,” I said.  “Then let’s hope Gravitation will get you a box of chocolates this day,” she replied in a matter-of-fact way.  Seeing her slight disappointment I explained, “Love is only personal, gravitation is objective and universal.”  “Love is elevating and meaningful, joyous and colorful, hope-giving and human, and it is for the heart.  Gravitation is impersonal and mathematical, precise and unerring, matter-of-fact, and it is for the mind,” she said.  “You have summarized the difference between science and religion more succinctly than most authors I have read,” I said.  We hugged each other and repeated the inverse-square law together, for we were grateful as much for our love as for gravitation but for which matter would never have coalesced into extreme concentrations where nuclear reactions light up the core of stars, keep planets in orbits and people on planets, and made all this possible.

There’s a force that makes the apple fall,
Keeps planets in orbs above
Another force prompts us to hug,
Brings joy and peace: we call it Love.