What is love?
 

Here I go, questioning again. "What is love?" came to mind. Every new relationship, every new chapter in life, makes me question my current definition. This thread is about what defines love not relationship issues itself but mods prefer to merge it into the romantic relationship thread then feel free to do so.

Every now & then I come across the "Have you ever been in love?" question on cheesy online surveys about your love life. I always say yes. It was years ago & it was in love according to my definition at that time. If i answer that question based my current definition, clearly i've never been in love.

I always believed that one day it'll hit me when i do fall in love. But right now, i wonder what if i did fall in love & don't realize it. I know i don't have to rush or anything but still, all this questioning has been on my mind. Also how does like differ from love? Sometimes, it's not so clear to me. I always thought commitment is the difference. But what is commitment? I do have a lot to learn in this journey with Eric.


If you read this Eric, don't worry, i'm not doubting my feelings for you. You know how I feel. All this questioning is about what i said last weekend.

Love and romance are two different things really. Romance is more about relationships. Love can be about more than that.

Love is everything. Love is what we should all strive to become; we cannot be too kind or too understanding or too willing to take on another's burden.

I think that St. Paul said it best.

I listen to love songs on the radio, and over the years I have realized that the word love has been so overused that no one really knows what it is anymore. I remember what it was like as a child to dream about love, watching it on movies and reading it in my Disney stories. Everyone wanted to be like Cinderella or sleeping beauty waiting for their prince. Then as an adult you realize something very important about relationships…love is merely attachment.


My parents have been married for over twenty years and what my father has taught me that marriage was like a business merger…a partnership love doesn’t have to be there just respect. There are contracts…something beyond marital contracts. Things that you demand and things that the other person demands and if these demands aren’t meant then the contract is breeched.
People get so fixated on this idea of love, which marriages fall apart because they don’t realize that their marriage is just a business. You constantly have to communicate and make demands and forget about those words called love. Love is merely a dream…a fantasy that we all wish that we could achieve


There is only one example of love that I could think of and that is of Jesus Christ. Whether you believe he is the son of God or not is not it…but the story the Christian’s believe.

Love is an unconditional thing. Love is where you are always forgiven no matter what you do…but in turn if that person messes up they never do it again. Love is when you are faithful to one person and not even your eyes wander to someone else. Your eyes are only on that person and they might as well be the only person on the earth.

People say that they are in love…but then they check out someone else, look at trash on the internet, lie to their partner, cheat, and other things that are equally as awful.

I just dont' believe love exsist anymore...I think it's been too corrupted over the years. :)

Ok, I have grown up listening to the songs of The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, and Don Henley to know that love is out there.

However, in a nutshell, listening to those songs helped get through those times, and I finally found love...true love...

I absolutely agree with this.
I would say that I am in love at this minute, although we are only 17/18, I believe that it is a mature kind of love, and different to all the other couples at our school who are jealous, cheating and falling out over the most stupid things.

For me I see love as always knowing that I have somebody to turn to no matter what the problem is, and also knowing that I can be there for that person. I think that love is having a connection with someone that you just can't describe, like if you're in a room full of a crowd of people you always know that there is someone right there with you. A partner.
I love that St Paul quote, so true. :love:

Love is love, you can't describe it, you can only feel it. :)

yeah connection, that little something. i kinda forgot.

I'm thinking of love as something beyond the romantic or the sexual, It really is about connecting--a meeting of the hearts.

It's possible to love people simply because you feel a sense of empathy for them.

There are many doors to love.

If you're talking love, well, that can have so many different kind of descriptions. But it's like Lem said, it's about connecting :) And that can range from loving a book to loving a family member.

As for being in love, my friend Erin (Lexi A.) told me this years ago, it's something her....grandfather (if I remember correctly) once told her:

"One thing about being in love is that if you are, you'd never doubt it to begin with. There'd be no question. And no matter how much joy and pain that love gives you, that person always takes your breath away."

:)

that's nicely said :)

This is one of those questions that is like "What's the meaning of life?". There's too many various answers and not one true answer.

Although if someone were to really ask you, you could always use this answer I found ;):

Love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species.
-- W. Somerset Maugham

"Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me, no more" (sorry, I had to :P)

Seriously, though, the best quote I've heard on love is that it is "friendship, set on fire".

Love is complicated, we all know this. Like Lem said its about Connecting...
whether its with a family member or friend or significant other. If you can be on a certain level with someone its love.
I think that romantic love is complicated and amazing at the same time. Some days you feel like its the most amazing thing in the world but at the same time the hardest. Being able to be self aware of how you feel can always be hard and opening up to someone, letting them into your heart, can be scary, but so incredibly worth it. When you find the person that gives you butterflies, that you feel content and right with, then you'll know. It doesnt happen easily or overnight but it will, I believe there is someone out there for everyone and all you have to do is be open to letting it happen and knowing when its not right for you.

HAH! I was about to say the same thing!! :D

Love is a lot of things. Respect, humour, conversation, understanding, empathy - all rolled up in one. I don't think you can be <i>in</i> love without those things. I think "friendship set on fire" summarises romantic love pretty well.

Not only do I totally agree with you I think society has placed an ideal of what love should be especially the movie world and music industry that its just not a feeling anymore.

I also think that everyone has their own definition of what love means to them and how it makes them feel. If you've ever tried to tell a friend that they're not in love or if your parents have told you that .. you know how it is.

Love is such a difficult subject.