”Tell me about love.” I can define it, I can recommend books, I can list the symptoms and effects, I can prattle off agape, philios, storge and eros. I can recite a poem, or a sonnet by Shakespeare, but I can’t describe it.
“Tell me about loss.” I can see it, I can observe it, I can sympathize with it, I can parrot motivational phrases, I can list coping mechanisms and techniques, but I can’t mean it.
“Tell me about life.” I live it, I know of it, I can speak of its origins, I can tell stories of its endings, I can watch it go by, try to find meaning in it, but I can’t embrace it.