How To Love?

How would you define "love"?

• People really do overuse the word "love" in our society- not just for things either (ex. "I love ice cream"). We say we love a LOT of people. We say we love all our friends, we love every extended family member, etc. And if you press people, they insist they really, truly LOVE all these people. I know people who say that out of their past 10 girlfriends or boyfriends, they really loved 8 of them. I personally don't think we know what love is if we say that we love that many people. Furthermore... I don't believe that you can fall "out of love" with someone. I'm of the opinion that if you don't love someone now, you never really DID love them. I believe what form that love takes can be different, and can change, but I think that when you really love someone, you can't just stop feeling that love. (I do, however, believe you can love someone that you did not previously love). I'm in college and have probably dated- as in, not exclusively- 8-10 guys. I've had steady relationships with five. I loved (and still do love) the first steady relationship. We broke up by mutual agreement, but we're like siblings now (we explain our relationship as being "blood siblings") and we definitely prefer this new relationship- I can't imagine my life without him in it. The next two guys I had a steady relationship with- well, I never loved them, and now that we've broken up, I still don't love them. The fourth one was the one I think I love the most; he loved me, but not "in that way," and broke up with me, yet I still love him. I hope someday I'll be able to feel for him what I do for the first guy, since it's pretty clear we'll never together the way I'd like to be. The current guy is just like the second and third- I like him, enjoy spending time with him, appreciate him, admire him, am attracted to him- but I don't love him. The final two people I love are my two best friends, my "blood sisters" as I call them. I know that I'm still young and all, but I only really, truly love the four people I listed here. No, I do not love my parents or my brother- I appreciate them and am grateful to them, but they've done too much to hurt me. They tore me apart when I was at my weakest, and as hard as I've tried, I can't love anyone whose only attempt at a good relationship is throwing money and insults at me. I'd never tell them that I don't love them- I don't want to hurt them or be cruel- but that's the simple truth. I hope someday I will be able to love them... but do not and have never loved them. To me, love means that you would rather die than betray them. I really would rather die than betray my "blood brother" as I call him, or the guy that I love, or my two "blood sisters." I can't say that of anyone else. And yes, I imagine that I'll feel that for several more people in my life- my future spouse, and my future children, of course. But certainly not my cousins, all my friends, etc. the way some people say they do. So- who do you love? What, specifically, do you define love as; what's the most you would do for anyone you really love?

• Answer:

  Love is a strong feeling you feel for someone simply. Unfortunatly, its not that simple. Love doesn't have a defintion. You are in college, you might think you know what love is but you DONT. To be honest I don't think ANYONE does. The word used to be a sacred word, but now its used for everyday objects. Its pathetic. In either case, good luck on your quest for true love. You are only in college you have a long life ahead of you, so you have time to learn what it is and when you feel it.