Defining Love

Definition Essay - Defining Love

Affection, devotion, passion, desire, warmth, respect or loyalty. You choose. It doesn't really matter which one because they are all forms of love. Some are powerful and demand attention while others are more subtle and just below the surface. In recent years, love has drifted from these subtle levels to the more noticeable ones, namely passion. In my opinion, our society downplays the real necessity for genuine affection. By this I mean that we, as a society, spend so much time focusing on only one level of love (passion) that we tend to neglect and not recognize the need for closeness and trust (friendship). Love is an all-encompassing emotion that can be powerful and demanding, but also rewarding and pleasurable.

Love is commitment. To love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Commitment can be called the backbone or building block of love. In other words, commitment is needed in order to build a stable and trusting relationship. Without commitment, love would not be able to grow and flourish. It can be extremely demanding on someone who isn't ready or sure that they want to commit to another person.

I do have to admit that sometimes this can be extremely difficult and may leave one feeling a bit vulnerable. Commitment is the ability to take a risk and to accept the possibility of disappointment or pain. Again, I have to agree that commitment can be demanding, but to look on the bright side, it can also be rewarding. To be able to stay in a committed relationship, says a great deal about a person; at least it does to me.

Love is sharing. By this I mean to share one's life, feelings, and downfalls; not just one's personal property. Sharing is being honest about yourself and allowing the other person involved in the relationship to really get to know who you really are. It takes more strength and courage to be able to share in a relationship. It has been my experience (which hasn't been that long) that sharing keeps the relationship growing. Not only do you share life experiences, both new and old, but also you learn to communicate.

Communication is a very important aspect of sharing. Just being able to communicate your problems or solutions with each other is a step in the right direction to a loving relationship. So many marriages or friendships in recent years have ended simply because the couple could not communicate and share their feelings. Sharing is not an easy thing to do, but it is fundamental to the success of a relationship.

Love is compassion. Compassion is being able to care about the feelings of another. It is understanding and listening to the loved one's needs and desire's. To me, in order to have compassion one must first feel empathy towards another person. Compassion and empathy go hand in hand. They are the state of being ultimately concerned about the health and welfare of another person.

Love is faith. This has to be the most difficult form of love to conquer. Most of the time when people discuss faith they are referring to the relationship that they, as individuals, have with their particular God(s). I believe that having faith in a God(s) is important, but faith should not be limited to religious deities. Faith can be applied to "normal, everyday" person to person relationships as well. In a marriage, you have faith that your partner will be monogamous and supporting. Of course, when referring to a friendship, family member or coworker one must also have faith that the loved one will be honest and forthright with you. There are so many levels to faith that we should not forget or ignore them. It takes a great deal