To exist as a human being is to inherit an intricate architecture of longing, vulnerability, and connection. From the moment we enter the world, reaching out with uncoordinated hands for warmth and reassurance, survival is tethered to affection. Yet, cynicism is an easy refuge in a fractured world. Disillusionment, heartbreak, and the relentless pragmatism of modern living often lead people to build emotional fortresses, proclaiming that romance is an illusion, passion a fleeting biochemical trick, and emotional openness a dangerous liability.
Against this backdrop of modern detachment, an enduring philosophical question insists on being asked: How can you be human and not believe in love?
The question acquired fresh resonance when Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah publicly reflected on the nature of companionship, vulnerability, and affection. Abdullah, whose political life has played out under the unyielding gaze of the public eye and amid the complex crosswinds of regional and national governance, recently offered a deeply human perspective on what it means to open one’s heart. His reflections, underscored by his marriage to journalist Nidhi Razdan on 30 October 2026, served as a poignant reminder that behind public personas, high-stakes diplomacy, and institutional duties, the fundamental human impulse remains unchanged: the search for understanding, mutual respect, and love.
The Instinct for Connection
At its most fundamental level, love is not merely a poetic trope or a convenient social arrangement; it is the cornerstone of human consciousness. To strip away the capacity to love is to reduce the human experience to mechanical utility. We might still build cities, engineer technology, and draft constitutions without love, but we would be doing so inside an emotional vacuum.
When someone claims they do not believe in love, they are rarely rejecting the concept itself. More often, they are attempting to protect themselves from the ruinous potential of disappointment. Grief, separation, and betrayal can make emotional isolation seem like an act of rational self-preservation. Yet, denial does not extinguish the instinct. Empathy, solidarity, grief, and tenderness are all dialects of love. When we weep at a piece of music, feel a surge of warmth when an old friend walks into the room, or choose patience over pride during a disagreement, we are practicing love. To disbelieve in it while actively breathing, feeling, and navigating human relationships is an existential paradox.
Love in the Crucible of Public Life
Public figures—particularly those operating in politically sensitive and volatile arenas—are often expected to project an aura of unflinching stoicism. Leadership is frequently conflated with invulnerability. In the case of Omar Abdullah, whose life has been lived in the high-pressure environment of South Asian politics, personal milestones are rarely divorced from broader scrutiny.
When Abdullah spoke on the subject of love, his reflections cut through the standard political rhetoric. He framed love not as a naïve fairy tale, but as an active, conscious choice to remain vulnerable despite knowing how fragile life can be. Love, in his framing, is about mutual understanding, companionship that endures trial, and the courage to begin anew.
His marriage to journalist Nidhi Razdan—a distinguished professional whose career has been defined by rigor, independence, and critical inquiry—brought this philosophy into sharp focus. Their union brought together two individuals who have both spent decades in high-visibility professions, accustomed to intense public discourse and the demands of their respective callings. In choosing partnership and publicly celebrating their commitment, they offered a quiet, powerful testament to the idea that no matter how complex one’s public responsibilities are, the human heart cannot be legislated into silence.
Their journey underscores a profound truth: love does not belong solely to the unburdened or the young. It belongs equally to those who have navigated storm after storm, who know the full weight of scrutiny and the scars of life, yet choose to believe that two people can still build a haven together.
Redefining Love Beyond Romantic Idealism
Part of the skepticism surrounding love stems from the narrow ways our culture defines it. Commercial romance often sells love as an effortless whirlwind—fireworks, effortless synchronization, and unbroken euphoria. When real life fails to mirror the script of cinema, people feel cheated, concluding that love itself is a myth.
Real love, however, is far more resilient and demanding:
- It is companionship: It is the quiet presence of someone who knows your flaws and history, yet chooses to stand beside you without requiring performance.
- It is resilience: It is the conscious decision to show up when circumstances are stressful, tedious, or uncertain.
- It is mutual sovereignty: Mature love does not absorb or diminish individual identity; it creates an environment where both individuals can thrive in their own right.
When viewed through this lens, love is less an accidental fall and more an act of sustained courage. To believe in love is not to believe that relationships are effortless; it is to believe that the shared journey of mutual care and understanding is worth the work and the vulnerability it demands.
The Transformative Courage to Begin Again
Perhaps the most potent dimension of believing in love is the willingness to embrace second chances. Human lives rarely follow a straight, unbroken path. We stumble, we encounter ideological and personal fractures, and we watch carefully laid plans come undone.
To encounter love after experiencing loss or separation requires an extraordinary form of bravery. It demands that an individual acknowledge past pain without allowing it to dictate future possibilities. In their shared step forward, Omar Abdullah and Nidhi Razdan exemplified this courage. Their union demonstrated that life does not close its doors on happiness after a setback; rather, the accumulation of experience often deepens our capacity to appreciate genuine partnership.
Choosing to trust, to share one’s life, and to build a shared future after living through life’s unpredictable chapters is one of the most affirming choices a person can make. It proves that the human spirit is inherently restorative.
The Indispensable Essence of Our Humanity
To be human is to experience mortality, uncertainty, and fragility. We live on a tiny planet in an immense, silent cosmos, carrying burdens that often feel heavier than our capacity to bear them. In the face of this reality, love is not a decorative luxury. It is our primary source of meaning.
It is present in the collective sacrifices made by communities in distress; it is present in the quiet loyalty of lifelong friends; and it is present when two accomplished, seasoned individuals look at each other and decide to share their lives.
To ask, “How can you be human and not believe in love?” is ultimately to ask how one can possess a heart and refuse to let it beat. Disillusionment may provide a temporary shield, but it offers a cold, solitary existence. As the shared reflections of Omar Abdullah and the celebration of his marriage remind us, the truest expression of human strength is not the ability to remain untouched by emotion, but the courage to love openly, thoughtfully, and without apology.
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