The Lovebulb

At the beginning of my research journey, I wanted a symbol that could carry both intellectual weight and emotional resonance — something that could embody the interplay of thought, creativity, and devotion that I believe drives the pursuit of knowledge. To this end, I created the lovebulb: a lightbulb with a heart-shaped filament.

Lightbulb, the Modern Candle

Before the lightbulb, there was the candle. In many cultures and religious traditions, lighting a candle is more than a practical act; it is ritual, symbol, and prayer. A candle transforms wax into flame, flame into light — a process of material being consumed so that illumination and warmth may be born. This act embodies transformation, sacrifice, and hope: the small but steady light that persists against darkness.

When humanity invented the lightbulb, we created not only a more efficient source of light, but also a new symbol layered upon the old. The lightbulb became the emblem of invention itself, of the sudden idea that brightens the mind in a flash of insight. We speak of a “lightbulb moment” to describe discovery, clarity, the spark of possibility. When I first decided to pursue this field of research, it was this lightbulb moment that captured my heart — the thrill of illumination, the promise that careful inquiry could pierce uncertainty. The lightbulb is thus not only a modern candle, but also a monument to human ingenuity, engineering, and the relentless pursuit of knowledge.

Love, the Electric Potential

Yet invention alone is not enough to sustain research. The more I reflect on what drives discovery, the more I return to a deeper source: love. It is extraordinarily difficult to solve problems that have never been solved before. Data, algorithms, and models can only go so far; at the heart of it all is the human act of creation. Humans teach other humans. Humans teach AI. The data that fuels artificial intelligence is itself a record of human creativity, labor, and imagination. Intelligence — whether biological or artificial — is not generated in a vacuum; it is embedded within the long history of human effort, culture, and care.

What, then, powers the creation of new things? Behind every solution lies a generative force, and again and again I find that force to be love. Sexual love creates life. Parental love nurtures growth. Artistic love fashions beauty. Intellectual love builds ideas. Ethical love sustains community. Creation in all its forms is born out of attachment, devotion, and care. Love is the potential that makes creation possible, the invisible voltage that drives current through the circuit of human striving. It is love that allows us to persist in the face of resistance, to endure frustration and delay, to carry responsibility. Without love, perseverance collapses into exhaustion; with love, perseverance becomes luminous.

Lovebulb, the Interplay of Intellect and Emotion

Here is where the metaphor comes together: how does a lightbulb shine? Through incandescence. As electrical current flows through a filament, resistance heats it until it glows, emitting light. Resistance is not a hindrance but the necessary condition for illumination.

So too in research, in art, in life. Love is the electric potential that drives the current; intellect is the filament that gives it form. Resistance — the difficulty of problems, the weight of responsibility, the temptation to quit — is not merely an obstacle. It is the very process by which the filament glows. The filament does not shine despite resistance, but because of it. Love enables this transformation: the invisible potential becomes visible radiance, the hidden devotion becomes light in the world.

Thus, the lovebulb symbolizes the union of intellect and emotion, logic and creativity, discipline and passion. It reminds me that the act of research is not only technical problem-solving but also a profoundly human endeavor, sustained by devotion to truth, to beauty, and to the communities we serve. If the candle once invited light into human ritual and prayer, the lightbulb invites light into human invention and discovery. The lovebulb — my personal emblem — reminds me that behind every idea, every act of creation, is a flame: the incandescent power of love.