What is love really?

[msinvisible1]

Love is a word that is tossed around so freely and heard almost everyday that it has lost its true meaning. Children know love to be how they fell about their family and how their family treats them and makes them feel. As they grow older, society tells them love is sex, and the things one says. It tells them that you can love as many people at a time as you choose and everyone should accept it. Society makes love out to be an adjective. It makes love out to be a dull and boring descriptive word that has no real meaning.

Love is not dull or boring, and it does have a meaning! Love is a verb not a description. Love is a combination of words and actions that line up to give meaning to how someone feels about them and others around them. I have often been told that I was loved and being the way I am I would believe it. I feel like this if I can’t back up what I say then I don’t say it. If I don’t feel a certain way, I don’t say it. If I don’t mean it, I won’t say it. I don’t use the word lightly. If I tell someone that I love them, then I mean it and my actions show it. I’m the type that likes to believe what someone says until they prove otherwise by their actions. I never tell someone I love them expecting them to say it back just because I said it. I say it because I mean it and it doesn’t matter to me if they don’t feel the same. I’m not looking to gain anything from it or them. My love is not conditional.

While I was married; my then spouse would tell me he loved me all the time, but after years of marriage I began to see and question the authenticity of his love. I heard all the time that from songs and other people that sometimes love hurts so I thought all the things that I was going through was part of that. But as I matured in life, in myself and in my faith I began to understand that life can hurt but real love doesn’t. If you really love yourself you would never do anything to harm yourself? You would do anything you could to keep yourself safe and free of pain. Think about it. What parent who loves their child would do anything or allow anything to cause unnecessary pain to their child? That’s love. Love is never making someone cry; it’s protection, respect, devotion, consideration, compromise, dedication, loyalty, selflessness, honesty, thoughtfulness, care, and trust. When someone loves you they would never hurt you intentionally. If they hurt you they will do all they can to fix the hurt they caused and ease your pain. They would hurt as you hurt from the pain. They would make sure that whatever caused the hurt would never happen again. They would make sure the same hurt would never happen again. Loving you and then loving someone else as much as you love your own self is love. Love is an equal and unconditional verb.

What is love not? Love is not lies and deception. One thing I cannot stand is a liar. Through my marriage I was repeatedly lied to. Not just big lies, but small ones. I can’t explain it, lies for no reason. I tell people upfront that honesty is a big thing for me. I hate finding out things on my own or second hand. I would rather someone tell me up front no matter what it is. I may not like it but I will respect the fact that person told me straight up. I have zero tolerance for lying. Love is most definitely not lies. Love is not tears and disrespect; it’s not one sided and selfish, abuse, frustration or stress. Love doesn’t hurt a person who doesn’t know how to love hurts others. If someone says they love you and never take any actions to show you whether through visits, actions of any kind, or phone calls (not just a text message here and there) then it’s not love.

The only way to know what love is not is to really understand what love is. Know what your limits and what you will and will not tolerate from someone who says they love you. And if you love someone that is showing all the opposites of what love is then you must love yourself enough to walk away. If you stay the only thing you are saying is that you don’t love yourself and if you don’t love yourself, you can never expect anyone else to love you. Love starts inside you and radiates outwardly.

[Noxifer626]

Quite poetic.
I believe love is listening with care. Allowing that important person to empty his/her soul in your ears, to share his/her thoughts and ideas with you, even if you do not agree with them. For the listener, it is the joy of knowing what that special person really is, to understand his/her mind better. For the speaker, it is the confidence of realizing your loved one truly understands you and accepts you, even if you are different.
Oddly, that came off better on my mind.

[linkywinky]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhrBDcQq2DM

... filler..

[JackKerouac77]

Well done, ma'am.

[ihatethiswebsite]

Exactly what I was thinking

[Ignitethefire]

love is a huge topic, love can be viewed and expressed so differently in our society that the original meaning can be skewed. For me Love has an always will be something you fight for, cry for and also willing to put your life on the line for. at least that's my point of view of how i see it, if its worth it; you would die for it, cry for it and fight for it.

[msinvisible1]

But only if its reciprocal. Not fighting for someone who won't do the same for me. I may cry but then its because its not reciprocated, then its not true love, I would die for love if it meant doing the right thing and saving someone who couldn't save themselves, but I'm not Jesus so I won't attempt to give my life for just anyone.

[Heathrowguy]

That was dam good. Well done. Just deep love no matter how much hurts... the energy is too strong to fend off. Just my additional thought. You can't control the energy in love and stop it hurting you.

[msinvisible1]

Thanks

[TheFlavour]

Love is just a word to describe something else

[msinvisible1]

I think it's words and actions. Anyone can say anything but actions that line up with it male it real.

[harakiri]

continual activation of the mesolimbic pathway.