Love is all you need. Is it? A philosophical question.

Describe your version of love. No doubt my version differs from any other. Let’s say I describe love as all things I want and need. Even though this broad description of what love is to me does suffice eternal gratification
 

Mr. Ed said:
Describe your version of love. No doubt my version differs from any other. Let’s say I describe love as all things I want and need. Even though this broad description of what love is to me does suffice eternal gratification
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In English we have just one word - love - for different kinds of love.

The ancient Greeks had several words to describe various manifestations of love
  • Agape: brotherly love, charity, the love of God for person and of person for God.
  • Eros: romantic, passionate love, lust, pleasure.
  • Philia: intimate, authentic friendship, affectionate regard, usually between equals.
  • Storge: unconditional, familial love, affection, especially of parents and children.
There are also variations and subcategories of these words, such as philautia (self-love), pragma (committed love), ludus (playful love), etc.23.

I have learned that the most important love to give and receive is unconditional love. I have also learned to consider love as a verb (an action, a doing word) rather than a noun.
 
If you love me, really love me, then you'd bring me a tub of ice cream every time you visited, but you don't do you, so you can stick your love up your jacksie.... I'd never say that of course, but there's no harm in thinking it. 😊
 
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For believers, love is the common denominator in how to relate to God and to others, and to ourselves.

Love is a tricky word. It’s most often understood as an intense feeling of deep affection. Biblically though, love has a much deeper and richer meaning; it transcends a feeling or emotion. This is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul tells us that love isn’t merely a feeling but a way of relating to others.

While most of us are fairly familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, slowing down to read it empowers us to enjoy subtle beauties we may otherwise miss. In this timeless passage on love, Paul uses poetic symmetry to deepen his point. He lists eight things love embraces and eight things love resists.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Put simply, if the world followed St Paul's definition of love, war would be redundant.
 
If by chance you are referring to christianity, the Bible and Jesus I fail to see connection of these things in my life. Many people attribute Jesus and god for all things possible in the realm of understanding and coping with life. However, to believe this way, people ignore the possibility that these things happened with or without celestial helpers. There is no way to determined the truth because truth is not you want.
 
Mr. Ed said:
If by chance you are referring to christianity, the Bible and Jesus I fail to see connection of these things in my life. Many people attribute Jesus and god for all things possible in the realm of understanding and coping with life. However, to believe this way, people ignore the possibility that these things happened with or without celestial helpers. There is no way to determined the truth because truth is not you want.
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I'm the OP and there were no religious references intended by me. I was largely influenced by the Beatles' song of the same title which most of us remember. :giggle:
 
horseless carriage said:
For believers, love is the common denominator in how to relate to God and to others, and to ourselves.

Love is a tricky word. It’s most often understood as an intense feeling of deep affection. Biblically though, love has a much deeper and richer meaning; it transcends a feeling or emotion. This is what we see in 1 Corinthians 13. Paul tells us that love isn’t merely a feeling but a way of relating to others.

While most of us are fairly familiar with 1 Corinthians 13, slowing down to read it empowers us to enjoy subtle beauties we may otherwise miss. In this timeless passage on love, Paul uses poetic symmetry to deepen his point. He lists eight things love embraces and eight things love resists.

1 Corinthians 13:4–8a Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

Put simply, if the world followed St Paul's definition of love, war would be redundant.
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Since the true meaning of the love listed in 1st Corinthians is "charity" (a charitable spirit) this passage means that love is not simply a feeling ... it is action as well! Thanks for pointing that out, HC!
 
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When I went to see the minister about my wedding, the first question he asked was if we had got our own house. He was pleased when I said yes and went on to say that love was just the start, and marriage needed a solid base to build your life on. He was of the opinion that getting married and then living with parents was a recipe for disaster.

There's an old saying, "When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window ".
 
Capt Lightning said:
When I went to see the minister about my wedding, the first question he asked was if we had got our own house. He was pleased when I said yes and went on to say that love was just the start, and marriage needed a solid base to build your life on. He was of the opinion that getting married and then living with parents was a recipe for disaster.

There's an old saying, "When poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window ".
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yes my mother used to quote that saying often.... and I;ve actually been the recipient of that too..in my first marriage where my husband was a chronic gambler..
 
hollydolly said:
yes my mother used to quote that saying often.... and I;ve actually been the recipient of that too..in my first marriage where my husband was a chronic gambler..
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I think there are exceptions to every old saying. If one of the partners is the cause of the poverty, as it was in your regrettable case, HD, then it is right on. However, if both partners are poor but eager to get married as soon as humanly possible, as was the case with my wife and me, even though we didn't have two pennies to rub together, then it needn't destroy that love. We were poor most of our life (by 1st World standards) and the love endured for 54 years!
 
Old Salt said:
I think there are exceptions to every old saying. If one of the partners is the cause of the poverty, as it was in your regrettable case, HD, then it is right on. However, if both partners are poor but eager to get married as soon as humanly possible, as was the case with my wife and me, even though we didn't have two pennies to rub together, then it needn't destroy that love. We were poor most of our life (by 1st World standards) and the love endured for 54 years!
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..I agree..and that's because neither of you was causing the other anguish by being poor, you both went into the marriage knowing what was expected of you both and what your limitations were... and cut your cloth to suit...

However take back in the day.. when there was no real reliable contraception and women were tied to the kitchen sink with a bunch of kids.. and the husband spent what little money they had.. or didn't earn enough in the first place to provide the necessities of life.. then love would have died pretty quickly
 
My mother used the same expression. She also was insistent that when my siblings and I got married, we "stood on our own feet", and we did.
But back to the original question, I think that love is the starting point, but you need a lot more to go forward. I do not have any religious belief - we must learn to work things out for ourselves.
 
hollydolly said:
However take back in the day.. when there was no real reliable contraception and women were tied to the kitchen sink with a bunch of kids.. and the husband spent what little money they had.. or didn't earn enough in the first place to provide the necessities of life.. then love would have died pretty quickly
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I agree completely, HD. Irresponsibility like that on the part of husband or wife would have been the death of any love ... and very quickly at that!
 
chic said:
Is love really all you need in life or is there something more important? I suppose this will vary from person to person. I think mutual respect is more important than love but probably stems from it? You have to at least like someone to respect them and keep emotions out of your relationship. Maybe friendship is all you need? or understanding? or best yet, the willingness to understand? What are your thoughts on this.

Yes, I am a peacenick. I wish we could all get along. The world would become a better place.
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Yes, imo, respect is a form of love, or a type of love. Kindness and understanding are as well.

I think if we recognize that there are many types of love (or ways to love), then it can be said that love is all you need to make the world a better, more peaceful place.
 
chic said:
Is love really all you need in life or is there something more important? I suppose this will vary from person to person. I think mutual respect is more important than love but probably stems from it? You have to at least like someone to respect them and keep emotions out of your relationship. Maybe friendship is all you need? or understanding? or best yet, the willingness to understand? What are your thoughts on this.

Yes, I am a peacenick. I wish we could all get along. The world would become a better place.
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People confuse love and lust. Sexual passion is a powerful drug, and it drives many decisions. This is especially true for teens and young folk. Most people on this site will know that that relationships change over time. That list and passion fades, no matter what you do. It's normal.

On the other hand, folks our age have different drives. Some are still sexual and need physical sex, others not. In fact, some not at all.

In other words, sex alone won't sustain any relationship. At some point it must evolve.
 
Jules said:
Ever hear someone ending a conversation, by phone or in person. Everyone says “love you.” I don’t find that meaningful and won’t say it just because they have.
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I have 2 sisters, 4 daughters, and 6 grandchildren. So we usually say "love you" at the end of most conversations. It is both meaningful and meant wholeheartedly! Repetition in no way demeans or diminishes it, but in fact strengthens the bonds of love between us!
 

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