What is Love?

[Jessica Hamby]

Sparked in part by something a member posted earlier [that i most CERTAINLY did NOT agree with...] I was just wondering what the board consensus was... and since this is one of those topics that EVERYONE can weign in with a DIFFERENT view on... i'd just like to submit forth a question:

What is LOVE, to you?

To me, love is: accepting a person EXACTLY as they are, INCLUDING their faults and vices...

love is wanting another person to be happy no matter whether you approve of their lifestyle or their choices and decisions....

Love is wanting NOTHING in return: simply accepting to care about and take care of said person without needing reciprocation...

Love is knowing without a doubt, no matter WHAT happens between you or how far apart you are, you will ALWAYS care about him/her and you will ALWAYS wish the best for them, EVEN IN THEY HURT YOU.

*drops 2 cents in*

[Mat]

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

That pretty much sums it up for me.

[Anchovy]

Love is...

Fear, absolutely blinding fear. Loving someone is the bravest thing anybody could do. Because it's giving another person the power to hurt you in so many different ways and trusting them...not to.

[Mat]

Love is...

Fear, absolutely blinding fear. Loving someone is the bravest thing anybody could do. Because it's giving another person the power to hurt you in so many different ways and trusting them...not to.

I'll agree with that. I find it's amazing how two people in love still manage to hurt one another so often. If it's a good relationship, the pain caused is unintentional.

I've felt wholly consumed by my love for a girl on more than one occassion. I'm not bitter about failed relationships, but I don't think I have it in me to ever trust another so completely as the first love. It's sad, in a way. But probably makes for a more realistic, stable relationship.

[Jill Monroe]

alot of people really dont know what love is. some people think sex and love are the same thing or that mad attraction is love....but once the infatuation wears off...what are you left with?

most of us can offer up an idea of love based on our own individual experience (although in some cases that just betrays how little the person actually knows about love)

speaking for myself..."LOVE" is something that you cant always box in a defination. it something that encompasses you without you realizing it. it gives you a feeling in your heart unlike any other.

[Hawksmoor]

I have to say, I'm not normally one for Bible verse (or religion in general, for that matter), but I Corinthians 13:1-13, for me, summed up how I think of love perfectly.

"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels -- yet have not love -- I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
"If I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could move mountains -- yet have not love -- I am nothing.
"And even if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned -- if I have not love -- if profiteth me nothing.
"Love suffereth long, and is kind.
"Love envieth not.
"Love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, it doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not easily provoked.
"Love thinketh no evil.
"It rejoices not in iniquity, but in the truth.
"Love beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away such childish things.
"For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face.
"Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
"I now abideth faith, hope and love. And of the three, the greatest of these is love."

[Mat]

Amen! :)

That's always been my favorite Biblical passage. Glad you posted it.

[eponinethen]

I could never define or explain love, not at all, not even when I'm love.. But I do agree with Anchovy.. I'm not scared to get hurt (although maybe I should be, seems like a good idea to be a bit careful when it comes to that), but to really love I guess you gotta trust.. dunno if I've ever done that though.. I tend to let people close, but I still expect them to leave (don't expect me to get hurt though, which is weird)..
(Ok, me ranting, sorry..)

[epitaph]

For a moment there i thought we were going to talk about the song. What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Dont hurt me. No more. :shrug:
Ok back to the topic. What is love? Love is blind. Love knows no boundary. Love hurts. Love takes away your pain. True love will set you free. Like Spells has said many people have confused love with something else. True love only comes once in your lifetime. Maybe if you are really lucky you will get a second chance. So if you do find your true love, dont let it go. Love will put you through every emotion there is but in the end it will give you eternal happyness. That is love.

[Foxfire]

Lexi, you are spoken by a true Libra! ;) I fully agree with you girlie! :D ;)

Love is complicated...a wickid rollercoaster kinda like marriage that has its ups and downs. Those who truly love will see past the faults and work it out to form a solid union. Love can be many meanings to each person and for me its different.

Love is finding my soulmate...that butterfly feeling besides the attraction. How much do we have in common? Can I see myself growing old with this person? Is this person good for me? Would I DIE for this person?

Love..is unselfish and everlasting even when it hurts. Like a scar...it can hurt like a bitch but it'll haunt you and remind you of what you had/have. Its a bit of yin and yang and all together a struggle. But in the end its worth it...with the right person.

[Jacob Black]

To me love takes on a lot more romantic stance..

I don't know I just want to find someone who respects ME more than I respect MYSELF!

Love is knowing what the other person is thinking..knowing that you don't have to apologize when you say something completely off color or weird because they understand where you're coming from..

Love is having someone completely overwhelm you to the point where you can't breathe.

Love ISN'T hard.. BEING IN LOVE IS...

[Rampage]

I think that love encompasses most of what has been written here. However, I think that one of the aspects of love that people talk about but do not practice enough is the ability to co-exist. Love as the set of pure emotions is important, but especially in romance love must also be about valueing what you share more than anything else. It's about forgiveness and comromise. It's about change and expecting the best from one another. It's great to have the romantic feelings and its good to accept a loved one, but I think that people and their relationships evolve over time, and I think that crucial aspect of love that can be missed is its adaptability within a framework. You must love yourself to expect good yhings from your mate yet still love them enough to allow them to grow and mature over time, even if at times it involves sacrifice on your part.
Just my 2 cents...

[Clairvoyance]

Once upon a time I thought that I was sure that I knew what love truly meant, but now I’m not so certain. Many tears and blood came from my last relationship and I never want to look back, yet it’s a special part of me now. Love is trust and honesty. No matter how deep or dark the secret it must be told or the flame of romance has not a chance of recovery. :'(

[Caroline Forbes]

"Love, is when you look into someone's eyes...and you go all the way in, to their soul. And you both know...instantly."

Name that quote lol

[Osiris]

Love is God.

Just like the Biblical passage:

1 John 4:8 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=69&chapter=4&verse=8&version=31&context=verse)
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

The reason I use this as an example of the expression and idea of love, is do to the concept. Whether you believe in a Supreme Being or an Original Souce of all things the concept of a Supreme creative force that calls into existence all things and the creation is reflective of that Original source, no matter what we attribute to them. When we consider the magnitude of that existence and that Originator then and only then can we begin to really understand love, because love encompasses all things like creation, because after all if God is reflected in creation and God is Love, then Love is also reflected in creation.

Like the Air:

Love can be a gentle breeze on a beautiful Spring afternoon or Love can be as destructive as a tornado in the plains of midwest.

Like the Fire:

Love can flow with heat and intensity like the steady lava from a volcano or love can erupt from that very same source into something totally uncontrolable that can destroy and heal at the same time.

Like the Water:

Love can be serene like a bubling spring or as beautiful as a tropical waterfall or love can overflow and wash you away like a hurricane.

Like the Earth:

Love can be content and bountiful like a meadow abundant with beautiful green grass, flowers, and trees or Love can produce landslides and earthquakes capable of destruction but also modifying the landscape so you would have to start over.

Love is the ying and yang of our existence, it is up and down, left and right, and while it encompasses all things or no things but both at the same time, love is all and love is God.

[Black King]

i felt inspired by my own love and believe love is something beyond thought or emotion. I truly thing we no one can truly live with out some feeling in their life no matter how hard they try. Its more a concept, a force pulling us within ourselves and moving us beyond mere mortal bonds. Its something deep within the base essence of the human being. Its like a crystal reflecting and illuminating each corner of our being with countless faucets and countless points of view fractured and flawed only complete when together with another. love is something we each take for granted and can't live without but it isn't till we give it to another that we even recognize it, it seems so small and empty until you find it then like the diamond the light shines through and a rainbow opens before you.



uh . . . .did that make any sense? :confused: I can never tell inspiration from nonsense.

[Insomniatic]

My grandparents have been married for 43 years! And they have not strayed from each other once! And they love each other just as much now as they did the day the got married. I believe what they have is real love. Love is taking the good with the bad and going into the relationship realistically. So many people get caught up in the moment and do things in the heat of passion, but they never think it out. Not everyday is bliss. True love is hard work... you have to build it with a strong foundation of trust, honesty, and communication.

Also I believe that you cannot love anyone unless you love yourself. Just like you can't make anyone happy unless your happy. I've met people who didn't love themselves and that vibe alone keeps people away. It sounds harsh, but when your comfortable with yourself, then people feel comfortable around you.

[Angels baby101]

I think love is unexplainable just because there can be so many aspects of it... you can try to put words to it, and try all you want to explain it to someone but it never quite comes out right. I do agree that you cant fully love someone unless you love yourself. Love is when you can look past flaws in another person, when you can take the good days with the bad and just smile and shrug it off, Its when your married for 60 years and everytime you so much as brush shoulders you get firery shivers up your spine, love isnt rational, or easy. Its hard and confusing but worth every milasecond. i once read a good quote its "To love is to allow yourself to have another hold your heart, and to trust them not to break it." or something along those lines. and I also believe you cant have alot of jealousy with love, it just messes with it.

[Nix]

What is love?

Something I have felt but never really recieved :(

[LizzieRainbow]

I think that love is finding that other person that makes you feel complete, who you love for both their good and bad points and who makes you feel so amazing about yourself.