KEEPING THE BEAT
The heart bestows life and death. It also instigates metaphor: It is a vessel that fills with meaning. The heart has always been linked to bravery. Even the word courage derives from the Latin cor, which means “heart.” A person with a small heart is easily frightened. Discouragement or fear is expressed as a loss of heart.
The richness and breadth of human emotions are perhaps what distinguish us most from other animals, and throughout history and across many cultures, the heart has been thought of as the place where those emotions reside.
The idea that the heart is the locus of emotions has a history spanning from the ancient world. But this symbolism has endured. If we ask people which image they most associate with love, there is no doubt that the valentine heart would top the list.
It is increasingly clear
