What is love?

Carlos says “It is the hilarious SNL skit featuring Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan”

Love is generosity of one?s self to others. This generosity can be expressed in many ways, in gladly shared time, energy, and affection. Everyday sacrifices of one?s own space and plans demonstrate love more than gifts, chocolates, or flowers. Love itself fosters generosity and forgiveness. Most of all it connects us to bigger things than ourselves. It feeds profound connections between us as humans, as parent/child, as friends, and as family and it connects us all to God in ways we do not even understand. The old saying is true, we find our true selves by losing ourselves in love with others. Valentines? Day can come and go, roses and sexy nighties, and boxes with cupids on them do not embody love. True signs of love are both bigger and smaller than the entire combination of commercialized romance that we face tomorrow.

I think being happy and making other people happy is more important than love. Love is something that just happens. You can’t help it. Sometimes you find yourself in love with someone who isn’t even very nice to you. Crafting your life (and the lives of those you love) to be happier seems more virtuous, more important, and more worthy of our time and concern.

A neurological con job.

Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more.

Some in the scientific mindset would describe love as a chemical reaction affecting multiple senses of elation and attachment in the brain. They would agree that the reason love exists is found in the innumerable collection of genetic mutations found only in evolution and its reason is to cause a need for reproduction and care for the child when born. Other forms of “love” can be related to care for family, friends and inanimate objects (i.e.) The man who builds his own house “loves” and “cares” for it. This explanation is very easy to agree with and extremely powerful when understood. Personally I agree with it although science has yet to completely prove it in its entirety. Yet, this explanation fails to convey the grandeur of being in love, it somehow fails to bring the explanation of life-long love or soul-mates to truth. Therefore, although explained scientifically, love will, in my opinion, always remain controversial and incalculable.

Valentine’s Day is a bad holiday. There is too much pressure to do something romantic and special and commercial. People resort to insanity on this day or they look like heels. And, what about people just starting off in a new relationship? That’s super tricky business. You don’t want to look like a jerk, but you don’t want to go overboard. And think about all the single people who feel like losers on this day. We should be loving every day, and ignore this ridiculous holiday! Bah-humbug!

Love is…

http://www.comicspage.com/loveis/index.html

While our English word for Love isn’t very specific,you can love your brother, your fiancee, your best friend, your favorite arm chair, whatever, but they aren’t all the same. A basic definition would be caring about the person more than yourself, well except for loving your favorite arm chair, you would rather go through hard times for them then have them go through it, you hate to see them cry, or be sad, and love to see them laugh, you’d rather get hurt than have them get hurt, so on and so forth.
As for valentines day,no i do not think it is a good holiday, as it is a hold over of the greek god Cupid, the greek mythology in general is not a very moral one, as the “father” god zeus cheats on the “mother god” Helena maybe? i don’t remember, and the god of war covers his bed with the skins of dead men. It’s a society and mythology devoted to violence, drunkenness, and lewdness. I don’t think that we should have any part in the holiday as most of us do not believe in, worship, or even acknowledge such deities.

I’m interested in what the phrase “generosity of one’s self to others.” You, Katherine, assert that loves lies in sacrifice (which I must assume is synonymous with the aforementioned phrase). Again, what is it to sacrifice? When you refer to that “sacrifice” of one’s ?own space and plans?, is that really a sacrifice? I suppose that I come from a more Randian school of thought wherein to sacrifice means to give up of one thing, for another thing of lesser or no value. To sacrifice is to lose.
The sacrifice that you refer to is, however, is an instance in which both parties gain. It is an exchange. It is a transaction; just like any you encounter involving money. In this case, one person exchanges their time, energy, and affections for a return of greater personal value from another person. For example, a husband whose bachelor hobby was drinking beer with the guys on Friday night, now chooses spend it dining with his wife. He exchanges beer drinking with the guys for dining with his wife because his wife is of more personal value to him. He gives up beer drinking, in order to make his wife happy. He wants to make his wife content, because his relationship with her is a source of personal pleasure for him. In exchange for this pleasure, he is willing to exchange things from which he derives a lesser amount of pleasure. He is not sacrificing. He is exchanging, by his own volition, one ?good? for another.
Likewise, any forgiveness that he grants will be for the same reason. In times when his wife has harmed him, it is still a price that he is willing to bear in order to maintain the relationship as a source of pleasure or happiness. When he chooses not to forgive, it is because an action has occurred that bears a price that he is not willing to pay. He is not willing to offer as payment, his forgiveness, for the continuation of this particular source of happiness. It is a fallacy to believe that forgiveness is a selfless act. Forgiveness is a price that one is willing to pay in order to maintain a relationship from which he/she derives pleasure. It is equally fallacious to believe that we can find ourselves by losing ourselves. This is a contradiction.

There is a difference, granted, in the non-romantic love of one?s family and friends. But it still comes down to a price to be exchanged for an item of greater value.

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.

– Robert A. Heinlein

Love is being loved by someone you know you cant live without. Love is like how a parent loves their children. They would give anything so their children will be happy. Yes it is love its not cracked up. Love will always be there for you, friendship comes and goes. But you need friendship to be in love. Yes love is more important eles. Yes i do like Valentines Day because you get chocolate and flowers. Also you get to be with the one you love/like.

Love is when you like someone a lot and you want to share something special with that person.

im sry 4 wat i said alyssia i hope u forgive me and i still want 2 be friends.

Love is a special unconditional bond between two people that cannot not be broken.

I personally take the Bible’s definition of love :)

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick tempered, it does brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

This is the kind of love that never fails…

Love is the action that expresses and proves how much you care for someone, or something.

Love is a letter in the mail.

love is something that never goes away the feeling is always there

Love is the Best and Worst thing in the world.

Love is an emotion. I don’t mean to burst anyone’s bubble but I suppose I have a pet peeve of people adding unnecessary definition to a word.

Love is simply a strong form of affection. It comes in many forms and can vary from person to person, and situation to situation. I don’t really think others can judge one another’s love as well as we each experience it only ourselves (as is true for any emotion).

The Bible (as quoted by simplesoul22 above) describes a set of emotions and actions that can be associated with love, but they are more than love. A great set of emotions and such, sure, but more than the simple word “love” implies in my opinion. =)

To me love, like any emotion, can vary continuously (it is not binary in love/not-love). One can love a friend and love a spouse in two very different ways and both be called love.

Some interesting thoughts on love.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/business/13every.html?em&ex=1216267200&en=ff5eb790af565bed&ei=5087%0A

I can’t describe what love is… but i know im in it. I know this because the thought of leaving my girlfriend for college brings me to tears…

I think that if I truly Loved I would want to spend the rest of my life with that person and not be able to see myself with anyone else but him. Love is like the Bible said it should be most of those things to truly be in Love. Love is getting butterflies even if it’s not all the time you still get them, and truly being happy beyond the fights you know you are happy. Wanting to hold hands and touch and kiss. It’s not sex because sex just makes everything confusing it’s just a physical thing that we all enjoy, don’t get it mixed up.

Love is patient
Love is kind
Love does not envy
Love does not boast
Love is not proud
Love is not rude
Love is not self seeking
Love is not easily angered
Love keeps no record of wrongs
Love rejoices in truth
Love always protects
Love always trusts
Love always hopes
Love always preserves
Love never fails

Love is hard work! it is a choice, to love like this has to be a decision made everyday to LOVE (ie i choose to be patient, kind not envious, not boastful, not proud not rude, not self seeking not easily angered, to not record wrongs, to rejoice in truth to protect, trust, hope and preserve and to…..................not let love fail!.

I must disagree with William. Love CAN be much more than simply a strong form of affection. Merely because the English language lacks imagination at times does not mean we too, as speakers of this language, should also lack imagination. Of all word’s, love is in most need of additional definitions and means of expression. In fact, by definition, love is in many ways undefinable, because as William also implied depending on the context you can experience different shades of love. A definition implies a set explanation or series of facts that can be used to describe and characterize a word or concept. As people have been discovering for centuries, emotions do not readily submit to definitions, boxes, and guidelines. Cheers to all the above expressions of love. My only real addition to the above is to love thyself. A life of sacrifice and love for others is a beautiful endeavor, but the strength and wisdom to live and love in such a manner needs a foundation of inner love that goes beyond selfishness and ego to a deep appreciation and awareness of the beauty and truth of existence.

Live and lets love!

Love is that first feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.Love is a spiritual form of energy that can be given or received in physical, emotional, or mental forms. Love usually starts in our thoughts, then spreads to the physical world through our actions, and then it will produce the emotional feelings.

Love is everywhere and not always seen,
it is everything that drives you,
it is in everyone you see.

I think the greatest expression of love is laying down one’s wants, desires, or even one’s very life for another. I don’t believe it is an emotion. I think that is what our culture has dumbed it down to become.

Love is the greatest feeling in the world. Without love there would be nothing to look forward to in life. Though, most people probably would think, there are so many other things in life to look forward to, like getting your dream job or getting a house. But, seriously, think about it would you really want to live your life having things without anybody to share them with. Yeah! Your life would probably be pretty miserable. For me my motto is “to live is to love”. When you love someone, you care about that person so much that they are practically a part of who you are. Therefore, without them in your life you feel like a part of you is missing, leaving you feeling sad and empty. The good thing about love is its power to make you feel better no matter how sad or depressed you may be. Therefore, I consider love to be the ecstasy of life.

Love is a something you feel but it is also something that you can see. Love is everywhere, it’s not just between 2 lovers, it is also present between parents and children, and even strangers. I believe love is when someone does something for someone else without expectation of anything in return. We don’t love to be loved, we love because we want to. We have a desire to show others how we feel, that is what love is. Some people might say love is a physical attraction, but if they believe love is only physical they miss so much. Love has to occur on a much deeper level for there to be real meaning. It’s something felt deep inside not something physical.

“Love has no awareness of merit or demerit, it has no scale, love loves; this is its nature”
– Howard Thurman

I think this quote answers the question what is love in a simple sentence. Love has no awareness, it has no scale. Love is love. Its in everyones nature to love something or someone. Since you were born, you were taught to love. to love your mom, your sister & brothers, your new toy from toys r us. Love is everywhere, between lovers family members friends. its in everyones nature to love. its natural. its a feeling that you feel whenever your around that certain somebody. its a desire to express your emotions.

Love is everything. When you don’t have love, you want love. When you have love, you will do anything to hold on to it. Love really does make the world go round and it can change the lives of one or of many. Love is the truest and purest form of appreciation of another person. Love really is everything. <3

God is love.

To me Love is about vulnerability. It is cognitive, emotional and physical. It invades your thoughts, manipulates your feelings and stimulates your body. But it begins with being able to be vulnerable to someone or something. I agree that love is a transaction as oppose to a sacrifice, because for what you are giving of yourself, something is being place there to fill the void.

I do not believe that Love is unconditional. Like everything else in life, Love changes just as people do.

I believe that love is something you can feel for anyone, your friends, your family, or a significant other. Love is not something to be thrown around. It is true and pure. With your family, it is being safe and being able to know that they will always be there for you even in the good and bad. It is being able to put up with your family even when they are annoying you and nagging you, but knowing they only mean the best. Love you have for your family is something that cannot be replaced by anything.

Love for your friends is trusting them and knowing they are there for you if you need them. Love between friends is having each others personalities reflect in each other. But, you are also able to overlook their flaws and mistakes and accept them for who they are. Love between friends is never having to worry with each other and always being able to laugh with each other.

Love with a significant other is breathtaking. You feel as if all of your problems in the world are gone, and that your significant other is the only one that matters in your world. It is not focusing on their flaws and helping them improve as a person. Love does not try to change someone. It is accepting someone for who and what they are. It is truly and honestly being happy. Love is being faithful and honest with each other.

Now, on the contrast, some people may is not always “breathtaking” and may not always being able to see eye to eye, and people who love each other still will fight. I do agree with this, but love is working through those problems. Nothing is ever perfect, but making things work is half of being in love. It should not be a push/shove relationship. There has to be compromise and sacrifice when you love someone.

I think that love is a very essential thing in life. Without my families love and support I wouldn’t be able to make it. Having a significant other is very important to me too. I couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to feel completely alone and not feel that your life is cherished by others. People who love and support you, push you to become the best you can be. Eventually most of us grow up and can push ourselves but in the earlier stages in life, I think it’s difficult to find that motivation alone.

Someone once told me that love is narcissism for two. I happen to agree with this idea very much. I would like to differentiate at this point the difference between love and family relationships. I don’t believe the same type of love that two people have for each other is the same love as two brothers may have for each other. I believe that the romantic nature is the type of love we are discussing; and I do believe that it is impossible for humans to love each other. I mean absolutely chemical romances exist, but just like drugs, after a while chemicals begin to lose their effects. I’m not saying that people cannot live together and grow together, but love like a flame does go out.

When people think love, many instantly think of a spouse or a boyfriend or girlfriend. When I think of love, I think of my friends and family, and then my boyfriend. The love you have for your family is unconditional. It’s as if no matter what happens, you never, ever turn away from them. Your mother or father can leave you but you still love them, whether it’s simply because it’s your mother or father or because you honestly do still love them. You love your friends because they are honest, patient, your personalities work well together, and you know you can always depend on them. As far as spousal love or the love of a boyfriend or girlfriend, it’s indescribable to be honest. It’s the type of love for which there are no words. It sounds cliche, yes, but I honestly cannot even describe it. There’s an internal connection and a mind-blowing mental “togetherness” between the two.

It brings peace, and is what you should do all the time, to everyone. You should be willing to give up everything to help someone else, because you have love for them. But that’s just in an ideal world, and this world is far from it.

love is bond between a being and something else that is true and cannot be broken. unfortunately, our biology can trick us into think we are in love when it is not true. it is tough to measure the boundaries of love. sacrificing yourself for another is one that comes to my mind right away.

Love is between man-and-man or a man-and-woman or woman-and-woman.

Love is the magician, the enchanter that changes worthless things to joy. It is the perfume of that wondrous flower, the heart, and without that sacred passion, that divine swoon, we are less than beasts; but with it, earth is heaven, and we are gods.

Robert G. Ingersoll, 19th century orator

More thoughts on love…

“Love is what you do.”

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101507281

Well put, Jacquie. There is an almost infinite number of things that one must work at to achieve love, yet many people still do so. Granted, many may think they are “in love” fail to do all of the above, such as a teenage couple “in love,” yet really only loves the thought of companionship and physical pleasure. Love varies from person to person; it is much like a snowflake, as no two definitions are the same. I do believe, however, that the most successful relationships work because these two “snowflakes” have much in common. They may seem identical to the human eye, but there will always be that difference. That difference is as much a part of love as the similarities are.

The most important emotion a human being can feel for the sake of the survival of humanity.