NationStates Jolt Archive

What is love? What is it worth to you? how far would you go for love? I want to know what it is to others. I don't want a dictionary definition.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ohhowohhoiehhoooieohhhhhhahhhohhowie

*bobs head*

Sorry, I'll leave now..

That was stupid. never again.

Love is when I feel like I would put another person's life unquestioningly ahead of mine. For me.

But love is always going to be different for everyone.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ohhowohhoiehhoooieohhhhhhahhhohhowie

*bobs head*

Sorry, I'll leave now..

Darn, beaten to it.


Yay Night on the Roxbury? Or Haddaway? I dunno...

Love is when I feel like I would put another person's life unquestioningly ahead of mine. For me.

But love is always going to be different for everyone.

An intresting notion. but it seems odd. what do you mean by unquestioningly befor your own life?

To me, love is a pretty shallow word. Yes, it carries deep feeling and emotions, but the word itself is too, I dunno, general. For example: I love BBQ. I love my dog. I love my wife. They all mean three different things, yet we use the same word with no way to differentiate.

But if you are saying "love" in the sense of, "I love my wife" then I think love is a deep commitment that goes beyond the phyisical aspect. Love is putting those you love first, often involving sacrifice and always involving giving; be it romance, time, an open ear, etc. Love is being true to your vows: To death do us part; through thick and thin.

I am no expert on love, because I have never experienced true love with a life partner (although that is to come very soon, I hope). However, this is just my take on what love is to me.

What is love? What is it worth to you? how far would you go for love? I want to know what it is to others. I don't want a dictionary definition.

what's love? overrated to the point where everybody thinks it as the most important thing in the whole wide world.

Love is finding another being (be it human or animal, opposite or same sex) with lots of money and living with them.

what's love? overrated to the point where everybody thinks it as the most important thing in the whole wide world.
What do you think is more important?

It seems that some of you think that this is a joke. well alow me to make this clear. If you have any smart ass remarks keep them to your self. thank you.

Something completely intangible, which no one man or woman can absolutely define.

Zukariaa']What do you think is more important?

life? happiness? And make no mistake, despite all the fairy tales and hollywood movies, love =/= happiness.

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.

that's pretty much what I try to keep in mind when I say I love my husband.

Love is a decision, it's not easy, nor is it always very pretty, but it's something you do for someone, because you want to.

Darn, beaten to it.


Yay Night on the Roxbury? Or Haddaway? I dunno...
Yay Roxbury!
Yay beating you to it!

An intresting notion. but it seems odd. what do you mean by unquestioningly befor your own life?

Well, I feel as if I was in a position to give my life for one single other person, there are a few people that I would do it for without giving a second thought. And I love all of those people. And I can't think of anyone else I love besides those people. While love may not cause this behaviour, and this behaviour may not cause love, for me, it happens with the same people.

Something completely intangible, which no one man or woman can absolutely define.

I agree 100%.

Hello. I think that love is a union. not necessarily with one person, sexual or friendly. it is a mental connection if you will. it is caring, respecting, understanding someone else, or many other people. you can love more than one person at one time, and on different levels. like someone else said above, i think that there are different types of love, and my "definition" if you'd call it that, applies to many types. as erich fromm says, love is an active verb, an activity that requires work, not some passive feeling. but anyway... that's all i have to say...

Well, I feel as if I was in a position to give my life for one single other person, there are a few people that I would do it for without giving a second thought. And I love all of those people. And I can't think of anyone else I love besides those people. While love may not cause this behaviour, and this behaviour may not cause love, for me, it happens with the same people.

this dose not help me because unless I hate the person in that situation I will sacrafice my life without question. I have a very low value on my life so this though intresting dose not help.

. as erich fromm says, love is an active verb, an activity that requires work, not some passive feeling.
I agree. I had never heard that quote, but it's exactly what I was talking about.

yeah, erich fromm is a psychologist from the 50's who wrote a book on love called the "art of loving" it's a bit antiquated, but much of it still applies. it's a good book if any of you want more insight on the subject. and i don't know if love is totally puting someone else in above you. how can you love others without loving yourself? or am i misinterpreting your words? sorry if i am.

yeah, erich fromm is a psychologist from the 50's who wrote a book on love called the "art of loving" it's a bit antiquated, but much of it still applies. it's a good book if any of you want more insight on the subject. and i don't know if love is totally puting someone else in above you. how can you love others without loving yourself? or am i misinterpreting your words? sorry if i am.

I have a strange view on it. (probably) I put my husband's needs before my own, he in turn puts his above mine. I don't recomend others give up all of themselves for another, because it's too much of a sacrifice for many. When I got married my husband and I became one, we are working together to the same goal, it's inefficient for me to 'have my own things' if they do not help to achieve the goal, but that's true of most people's solitary life anyway. It is true that you have to love yourself to feel loved by others, and if you aren't "feeling the love" you aren't going to be loving and therefore not very loveable. (sorry if that's confusing.)

What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ohhowohhoiehhoooieohhhhhhahhhohhowie

*bobs head*

Sorry, I'll leave now..

this is the first thing that ran through my head when i saw this thread.

love is what happens when you stop paying attention to your feelings.
it slike a time bomb if you see it run a way:)

What is love? What is it worth to you? how far would you go for love? I want to know what it is to others. I don't want a dictionary definition.
It's a bunch of crap to me right now.

A bunch of rejections with no end in sight.

I won't leave this computer, that's how far I go with it. :p

yeah, erich fromm is a psychologist from the 50's who wrote a book on love called the "art of loving" it's a bit antiquated, but much of it still applies. it's a good book if any of you want more insight on the subject. and i don't know if love is totally puting someone else in above you. how can you love others without loving yourself? or am i misinterpreting your words? sorry if i am.

No, I don't realy believe my initial post about putting another person completly above you as my definition of love. I don't know how to define love. I was just saying that I will give myself up for those who I love, but no one else. Its not really a definition, its just...something. I don't know. And I'm sure my ideas of love will change as I get older and more mature.

Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken!

Some Shakespeare for y'all.

No, love is... knowing someone very, very well. Knowing what makes them tick; knowing their strengths and weaknesses, knowing the things that make them happy, the things that make them mad, and the things that make them cry. Having seen them at their best and at their worst, when they're laughing and beautiful, miserable and a wreck, and angry as bloody hell. It's seeing what makes them a good person, as well as what makes them a really bad person sometimes... and knowing you'd die for it all. Do anything for that person, for all their perfection and all their flaws. Maybe I'm sentimental and silly; I don't particularly care. That's what love is to me. Putting somebody ahead of your feelings, because it's just... not even a choice, really. Because you wouldn't consider anything else. Because they're your world anyway.

The most simplistic way of describing love in my opinion, is to say that it is very strong affection, tempered with physical attraction. :fluffle:

What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ohhowohhoiehhoooieohhhhhhahhhohhowie

*bobs head*

Sorry, I'll leave now..

"Andre, don't tell me you were beaten to the punch again!"

Actually, I'd have to say love is an outgrowth of like involving physical and/or mental attraction and some additional pair-bonding activities. :fluffle:

The word "love" has become overused, almost meaningless filler. I mean, people even apply the term "love" to inanimate objects, and frequently! Think about it:

I love television
I love football
I love palindromes semordnilap evol I
I love bacon
I love Metallica
I love NationStates
I love sarcasm

Real love, love not in the lighthearted sense that most of society has come to view it as, is a very powerful thing. So powerful, I think that if you really love someone, you can't love someone else more. That doesn't mean you can't love more than one person, though. But if you honestly can't fathom what it would be like to love someone less, then you probably really love that person.

I don't know how understandable that last paragraph was... it's a difficult thing to describe, because one of the side-effects of love is an acute loss of rationality. Those who are are not experiencing love are not experiencing it, so they can only give you a definition based on their memories of being in love (if they have ever been in love), and those who are experiencing love are too busy with it to take the time to define it...

Love, as in the love of an another, to me is the ultimate submission. You submit to think about yourself and like another poster said you put your life as the second most important thing. You are willing to sacrafise normal instincts and choice, basically a piece of your freedom. You would not only take a bullet for her, but also give a bullet for her. In a sence you are willing to do any sin she wants you to.

also I think its an overused word that has lost its meaning becuase its often confused with feelings of lust and said a little to much.

...how far would you go for love?

I would walk 500 miles.

What is love? What is it worth to you? how far would you go for love? I want to know what it is to others. I don't want a dictionary definition.
The willingness to give up your life for someone else.

Unless you're suicidal in the first place. Then it gets complicated.

That's (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=386400) love.

Or at least a definition of it that made an impression on me...

I could have SWORN that I saw this exact thread six months ago, complete with the title verbatim, "baby don't hurt me", and shakespeare quotation. Freaky.

Love is an illusion.

http://content.ytmnd.com/content/e/2/1/e21a1a7124e7a4cc1c63d7fed84433f8.gif

Make it stop!!!!!!

Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable-- GANDHI.

What is love? Baby don't hurt me. Don't hurt me. No more.

Ohhowohhoiehhoooieohhhhhhahhhohhowie

*bobs head*

Sorry, I'll leave now..


you get fluffled for that splendid rendition(sp?):fluffle:

I would walk 500 miles.


i have seen you say that like...3 times now...wierdo

As with obscenity, I cannot define it, but I know it when I see it ;)

In Greek they have lots of different words for love. In English we have just the one, which sucks. One sermon I heard one time explained it like this...

Love for God (whatever it is that you believe in, or your commitment to not believe in anything)
Love for Spouse
Love for Family
Love for Friends
Love for Tacos

These are all very different types of love. There is an undefinable difference between them, as you could never love a friend the same way you love your family or your chosen mate-for-life. And seriously, we all love tacos. They rock.

There are different ways to express love also.

Physical Touch
Verbal Reassurance
Acts of Servitude
Purchased Gifts
Quality Time Spent Together

My standard 'definition' of love, the one I use in my own life, is I love someone/thing when I am willing to put their happiness and comfort as a priority, even at the cost of my life. Willing to sacrifice myself in many ways to make their life better.

I have obviously not yet come to such extremes, but there are minor things that can show in everyday life. For example... getting my husband a beer when he's sitting and watching the TV. This qualifies as the 'act of servitude' and is letting him stay comfortable while I volunteer to stop what I am doing and get up. When I hand it to him I kiss him quickly - physical touch - and smile. He and I both feel the strength of the relationship we have through such a simple gesture.

I don't know if this is helpful or just a lot of babble, but I hope some of you get something positive from it. :)

I really honestly think that it's impossible to stay in love with someone forever. Though while it does last it's an all-consuming need a person feels to keep seeing the other person as happy and alive as possible...whether that means running in front of a bullet for that person, or staying out of the way if that person's in love with someone else.

I really honestly think that it's impossible to stay in love with someone forever. Though while it does last it's an all-consuming need a person feels to keep seeing the other person as happy and alive as possible...whether that means running in front of a bullet for that person, or staying out of the way if that person's in love with someone else.

What about non-romantic love? Could you love a friend or family member 'forever'?

What about non-romantic love? Could you love a friend or family member 'forever'?
Yes, but then you're not 'in love' with your friends and family members, are you? In a similar vein of thought I think it's possible for a person to love someone forever if it's from afar or if the other person died when they were still in love because then you're only seeing a skewed perspective of the person either from never being particularly close to them or from letting your memories run away with you or because you never had a chance to see it through. -edit- As for friends and family members they have the added advantage in love's wars of usually not being expected to live with you 24/7 for the rest of your life while also never having to put their own happiness off for favor of your own if you disagree about something major like where you live or how long you wait until you have kids.

"Love" is the most wasted word of all.

Other than that, a chemical imbalance in the brain and a disturbance of the production of different hormones.

Love makes the world go round... Or was that booze?

Also, love is evol spelled backwards.

what's love? overrated to the point where everybody thinks it as the most important thing in the whole wide world.
I could not have said it better myself!

Love is finding another being (be it human or animal, opposite or same sex) with lots of money and living with them.


Sweetness

:D

That's (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=386400) love.

Or at least a definition of it that made an impression on me...

Beautifully defined!

"Love" is a blanket word used to lump together a number of very different, marginally related emotions. Due to its deceptive meaning it has become one of the most overused words in the English language. It is used to refer to preference for inanimate physical or even intangible objects (e.g. "I love tacos" or "I love the wit of Mark Twain's prose"), natural affection for family members or animals (although there are still differences here: a mother loves her child in a very different way than the child loves the mother), admiration or obsession with a person, usually a distant one ("I love Mozart"), or the "real" romantic love that we primarily think of under this umbrella. I'm assuming that this is what you are looking for an explanation of, so I'll do my best.

While I'm not particularly qualified to answer this, as my run-ins with romantic love have not been particularly enlightening or successful, I do know at least something. Love in this sense is different for every person. Some, primarily those who have not found it yet, believe it does not exist. For others, love is a feeling of despair or weakness; these are the people who have been unfortunate. For the successful in love, it can be that happiness that comes only from sharing the highs and lows, the pain and pleasure of another person: the most powerful expression of emotion.

But I think all can agree on a few points. In its purest form, love is caused by a chemical reaction involving several hormones whose names I can't be arsed to remember right now, which is an initial reaction leading in many cases to a larger relationship during which a more emotional connection is established. The chemical reaction itself wears off after several years, however, explaining high divorce rates among couples that never managed to emotionally click.

However, it is also much more than that. It is courage, the courage needed to share the thoughts and emotions of others, and allow them to share yours in return. It is trust, the ability to let go and give up in order to regain yourself twofold. It is loyalty, faith in the other, and the right to expect that faith in return. And if it is indeed the most acute pain and sorrow, it is also the most acute pleasure and joy. There is nothing else quite like it... it is the completion of the circle, the most perfect union of yin and yang, the harmony of nature...

I'm sort of rambling here, but I hope you can get the idea. (Actually, I just hope someone actually reads one of my posts once in a while. :p)

"Love" as pertaining to the physical attraction between two beings is a chemical reaction designed to ploiferate your genes.