Still, we must love

In the book, the 14-year-old protagonist, Momo, repeatedly poses the question, “Can people live without love?” Her life, marked by abandonment from her parents and the impending death of her guardian Aunt Rosa, seems to provide a harsh “yes” to her inquiry. Everything that happens in her life seems to prove that she must live even without love. Even her beloved Grandpa Hamil agrees that people can live without love. However, Momo refuses to accept this answer and denies it until the end. In fact, she even lies to Grandpa Hamil by telling him, "You said people cannot live without love,” and deceives herself by believing that she is right.

It may be true that one can ultimately live without love, because life is often filled with struggles and challenges, and it is not always beautiful. Knowing that one can live without love, but still insisting on its necessity is a desperate declaration of war against life — a tenacious struggle to not be defeated. Looking at Momo's life and the world around us, it's clear that life can be harsh and unforgiving. Living without love or any other source of comfort or support is too harsh.

“I must love” is a phrase that must be uttered like a spell in the midst of life's challenges. Because we cannot live without love, and that’s how life is supposed to be. It is to believe that I am alive right now because there is love or something akin to it. It is to believe that those who have left us did so because they fulfilled their purpose and that we who remain must continue to love in their absence. That is why we shall continue to love even if the world becomes a place where we can live without love.