an interesting conception of love

During my spring break I went to the Cherokee Nation to volunteer with students.  During that trip we had several people come talk to us about Cherokee culture.  One of those speakers said something that stuck with me.  He explained that there is no word in Cherokee that translates into the word “love.”  He said the close there is to a translation is a word that basically means, “I’m stingy with your existence.”  I really like this idea.  Basically they think of those they really care about as people they do not want to lose.  They also want to be around them.  In short, they are “stingy” with that person’s existence.  I like that better than “love.”