Love spreads (like a contaminating oil slick)

So apparently this week's lesson is about love.  What is love?  Love is the power that brings us together.  Or in the following three examples, does totally random things with our minds and lives and makes our friends wonder behind our backs.

Case #1.  A student I know from the university, taking a year off before working on his masters.  Queer as a three dollar bill, and as a friend would say, his picker is broken.  That is, in the past, quality mate choices haven't been high priority (the ignorant dyslexic was a gem).  Today, he announces his love of a woman at work, and that they are in a serious relationship.  Claims it was totally unexpected but worth a go.  Had sex with a girl once when drunk years back, and apparently back at it.

Case #2.  Co-worker has a friend in from out of town to help her with some home improvement projects.  Friend used to live in town here, now lives a couple hours away.  She obviously has feelings for him, as witnessed by her gazing longingly up the ladder he was on replacing a lightbulb.  She talk about him 'that way' when he's not around, but won't make the obvious move to pursue things further.  Might have something to do with the overarching feeling by her friends that she needs a woman or new washing machine.

Case #3.  Co-worker who lacks any interest in physical contact with someone.  Claims it's temporary until he warms up to them, and recently has shown a willingness to try with a friend of his.  However, thinks of it more as an "all on, all off" switch.  I blame his formative years, but who knows.

So what of this love thing?  It all seemed so simple and utterly boring to hear my parents talk about their courtship.  My mom liked my dad, my dad liked my mom, and now almost 40 years later they're inseparable.  When did we complicate it so?  Gay men dating straight women, straight women ignoring their feelings and giving off a lesbian vibe, and a pseudo-asexual.

Maybe love is the problem.  Maybe we'd all be better off professing our undying like of someone to save all the stigma that comes with the other l-word.  Maybe it stems from fear of rejection?  Maybe it can't be simplified down to any common denominator other than people are strange.

I recommend NIH puts a lot of money into figuring it out though.  I don't have time to find new friends.