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Cristina Crescenzo (she/her/hers), Low Entropy Volunteer Writer

If I am being honest, I have feared that the kind of love Shakespeare and Austen wrote about doesn’t exist, at least not in the world I know today. Maybe, in the eras when those words were written, all-consuming love and the sacrifices one made in pursuing it was a reality for someone. However, centuries later, we have lost our ability to appreciate the simple things in life and the true wonder of human interaction. It is a changed world out there. Chivalry in its purest form has become obsolete, and yes, that’s not technically bad because we have come to really cherish and learn so much more about the world and ourselves through independence. But whether you want to admit it or not, there is still something about Romeo and Juliet and the ability to have a love so powerful that you would die for it. It is a story we keep returning to continuously through the centuries, so there must be some truth and value in it today. For instance, I know many parents would put their lives on the line for their children or soldiers who die for civilians who would only ever be strangers to them, but people do those things because we can love. 

One of the most extraordinary things about being alive is our ability to feel, and though you could say all emotions have meaning, I think we can agree that one, in particular, is the most meaningful, and that is love. Having the capacity to love and be loved in return really does make even the hardest of days a little more tolerable. I know as well as anybody that on those days when you feel low, you become blind to all the good things life can offer, even if you do see something beautiful, like a happy couple on the bus. You might feel a little bitter and resentful, and this is okay. However, if you can take yourself out of the equation and realize there is a lot about this world that is sad, dark and genuinely unfair. It is actually quite remarkable that these two people could feel true joy, especially when there are times, as humans, we can be cruel to each other, self-absorbed and deceitful. It was nice for me in that moment to feel peace and have faith in humanity. At the end of the day, some say it’s a fool’s errand to build the foundation of your hopes on tales from long ago, especially one where it does end quite tragically. Still, I can’t help but wonder if their story came to pass based on a set of beliefs William Shakespeare had himself and that he learned long ago, just like I am learning in the present, that loving another person besides yourself is the most profound blessing that we can receive in our lifetime and all the other lives to come. It is inevitable. 

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I am just a 24-year-old finishing her English bachelor’s degree at Simon Fraser University who loves to read and write in order to help someone in some small way. I will also always advocate for mental health and disabled causes through the written word, and Low Entropy lets me do just that.