What is your definition of 'love'?

I challenge the idea that you have to like family members, even some friends on occasions, in order to love them, I know this from experience, I don't like some, but I love them with all my heart and want nothing but the best for them in life, but, I can do without day to day contact nor want them as friends due to their personalities, but, I would be there for them if they needed me. Now in romance, to be "IN" love, I definitely have to like the person.
 

AprilT said:
I challenge the idea that you have to like family members, even some friends on occasions, in order to love them, I know this from experience, I don't like some, but I love them with all my heart and want nothing but the best for them in life, but, I can do without day to day contact nor want them as friends due to their personalities, but, I would be there for them if they needed me. Now in romance, to be "IN" love, I definitely have to love the person.
Click to expand...

Well what do you mean by 'love', then?
 
Love is often about sacrifice.

You let your child walk to school by themselves for the first time. Your common sense and every fiber in your being says to accompany them as usual, but after they beg you your love for them takes over and says "yes".

As I said previously, I could love my goldfish. But I wouldn't take a bullet for them - that's reserved for the people I love.

The old saying "If you love someone, let them go" ... painful, yes, but an indicator of true love.

Love can smother the loved one, true. It happens every day. That's not true love - that's selfishness. One-way love.
 
SifuPhil said:
Love is often about sacrifice.

You let your child walk to school by themselves for the first time. Your common sense and every fiber in your being says to accompany them as usual, but after they beg you your love for them takes over and says "yes".

As I said previously, I could love my goldfish. But I wouldn't take a bullet for them - that's reserved for the people I love.

The old saying "If you love someone, let them go" ... painful, yes, but an indicator of true love.

Love can smother the loved one, true. It happens every day. That's not true love - that's selfishness. One-way love.
Click to expand...

If that is what you mean by love then I love, I suppose as I would do anything I could for my family.
 
Oh, I could define what it is for me to love, but, I'd have to hide the weapon I used on ya afterwards. Love means different things to different people for me, I know it when I feel it it's not some neat little package you can wrap up and put a bow on it and as Phil has said, there are levels and types of love.

I have loved deeply with every fiber of my body, I have loved moderately, I have been in love with all those fibers and then some and can say I still hold that person in my heart and probably will do so till the day I die, but, I could love another as deeply if they had same qualities and crossed my path, but, I'm hopeful that won't happen as I too would rather not go through that kind of all in feeling again it's too overwhelming due to past lost and I don't mean romantic, I mean general lost of loved ones, I'm just not interested in doing that anymore.

Only each person can define for themselves and no one has the right to determine what love is for them it's meaning is quite individual, but, one thing for sure, you don't purposely hurt those you love, you don't wish harm for those you love, you want the best for those you love.
 
Bluecheese50 said:
But I don't consider that love, just being a decent person.
Click to expand...


Interesting viewpoint.

One of my tests has always been the ability to switch a statement round to see if it is true both ways.

Yes, loving someone means you're a decent person.

But does being a decent person mean loving everyone and everything? You've already said "no" to that yourself.
 
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 :

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. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
 
jujube said:
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 :

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. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
Click to expand...

Hmmm ... as you might expect, I both agree and disagree with this.

I agree with everything up to "love never ends". It does indeed. But it also contains the ability of the phoenix, to resurrect itself from the ashes. People love, they fall out of love, then find the ability to love again. One love dies ... another begins life.
 
SifuPhil said:
Interesting viewpoint.

One of my tests has always been the ability to switch a statement round to see if it is true both ways.

Yes, loving someone means you're a decent person.

But does being a decent person mean loving everyone and everything? You've already said "no" to that yourself.
Click to expand...

Definitely not, using my definition of love.
 
I agree with mitchezz, if you wouldn't rather die yourself than have a particular person die then you don't truly love this person. I would take a bullet for my kids (including the nephew I raised) and grand kids but not anyone else in my life thus far. I loved my parents in a dutiful sort of way and siblings. I love my roommate and many friends but I can't honestly say I would die for any of them.
 
I met my husband when I was 15 yrs old and in high school. It was love at first sight for both of us. I broke off with my boyfriend that day and my husband broke up with his girlfriend. We are approaching our 50th wedding anniversary this May.Our feelings for one another has never changed. We have 2 children and 3 grandchildren that we love with all our Hearts. I wouldn't want to spend one second on this earth without any of my Hearts.:love_heart:
 
Love is a decision rather than a feeling.
It is a verb more than it is a noun.

It is a steadfast commitment, even when from time to time for some reason you don't really like the beloved.
Like when they come home drunk at 1.00 am and vomit on the carpet.
Love is cleaning it up, putting them to bed and saving the shouting until morning.
 
Warrigal said:
Love is a decision rather than a feeling.
It is a verb more than it is a noun.

It is a steadfast commitment, even when from time to time for some reason you don't really like the beloved.
Like when they come home drunk at 1.00 am and vomit on the carpet.
Love is cleaning it up, putting them to bed and saving the shouting until morning.
Click to expand...

Nevermind, I've never loved anyone in that case. :( Just kidding, sadly I actually have done something like that for a friend and or boyfriend in my day can't say it was always out of love, caring and compassion for sure. Sometimes it's just better to clean the mess up right then before it dries and sets into the carpet. :D

I actually had a better answer for this question when I was in sixth grade when it was a topic of discussion amongst us group of kids back then. I don't remember what I said, but, I remember the other kids being impressed, even the class bullies.
 
After all is said and done, I think in the end love is all we really have/had - very precious and something I am very grateful for.
 
My husband and I tell each other several times each day that we love each other. We've been together over 50 years but I don't know exactly how to define love. I used to think I knew, but I don't know anymore.

Someone here said "love is taking a bullet for someone". I'm not so sure about that. There are a lot of people who have taken a bullet for someone they don't even know. I hope I'm one of those kind of people but I don't know for sure if I am or not.
 
Linda said:
My husband and I tell each other several times each day that we love each other. We've been together over 50 years but I don't know exactly how to define love. I used to think I knew, but I don't know anymore.
Click to expand...


That's fantastic - congratulations!

Someone here said "love is taking a bullet for someone". I'm not so sure about that. There are a lot of people who have taken a bullet for someone they don't even know. I hope I'm one of those kind of people but I don't know for sure if I am or not.
Click to expand...

That's usually a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm talking about a pre-meditated act, not an impulsive one.

I'm not sure I could sacrifice my life for a stranger, unless it was for a child.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top