Love?
Given today is Valentine's Day, I thought I'd pontificate on the definition of love:
(this information is from www.mirriamwebster.com and is the English definition only.)
Main Entry:1love
Pronunciation: \ˈləv\ Function:noun Etymology:Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to pleaseDate:before 12th century
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties love for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b: an assurance of love love>
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration love> b (1): a beloved person : darling -often used as a term of endearment (2)British -used as an informal term of address
4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God
5: a god or personification of love
6: an amorous episode : love affair
7: the sexual embrace : copulation
8: a score of zero (as in tennis)
9: capitalized Christian Science : god
- at love
: holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
- in love
: inspired by affection
--
A pretty bland explanation, isn't it? The attempt to quantify the emotion of love (or pretty much any emotion) seems to diminish it. Just as in my previous entry I told you there were many types of fear, there seems to be more than one type of love. This, however, is incorrect. There is one type of love, as in the traditional sense of the word. Given the English languages tendencies to use a single word to describe many things and create a misasma of confusion, I think it may be time to disqualify most of the above definitions.
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.
Affection. This is a very skewed word. Affection is a soft feeling that some who claim to love never feel. To them, love is busting your ass sixty hours a week and making it look easy while juggling busy weekends with soccer practice and doctor's visits. It means sometimes being the bad guy who has to punish. Love isn't affection or obligation. I'd say this first definition is invalid.
(2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers.
This one is easy. Attraction is not love, or I'd be in love with Angelina Jolie, and like the definition above, affection is not something expressed by everyone who loves.
(3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests b: an assurance of love love>
Well now. There's affection again. BZZT! WRONG! Benevolence? Do only benevolent people love? Are only benevolent people loved? I'd have to say no. Common interests? What, are we reducing love to the level of some kind of club? CLUB LOVE! That sounds sincere. An assurance of love? People lie about love all the time. It doesn't make it love. Wrong too.
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
Attachment! I think we have a winner! Warm attachment? No. Look at Wuthering Heights. Love is not always warm. Enthusiasm? Again, love is sometimes quite reserved. Devotion? No. Some people are devoted to causes and generals but they do not love them. But devotion is close. Devotion and attachment. There may be a little to this one...
3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration love> b (1): a beloved person : darling -often used as a term of endearment (2)British -used as an informal term of address
Can you love something that isn't even alive? Is it healthy? If I professed my love for a nickel collection, would that make me strange? I'd say you can only truly love something alive or which contains living beings. I suppose someone could love the L.A. Dodgers, but I think that's more of a devotion and a fascination or envy than love. Terms of endearment? Not love.
4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God
Unselfish? There's a HUGE misstatement. No one is unselfish. We, as human beings, are driven by self. The desire to be with someone and to have someone in our lives is driven by the self. Unselfish is impossible. Selfish is NOT a bad thing. We'll tackle God below. A brotherly concern for others? There's an interesting sentence. Why brotherly? How about a kinship with others? A bond with others that have common interests and whose lives enrich our own. It still isn't love. I'd call that community (in a utopic sense.)
6: an amorous episode : love affair
7: the sexual embrace : copulation
Love? No. Lust. The animal desire to procreate is NOT love. If it was, then longworms feel love. Hell, they probably don't even feel lust. This is instinct, pure and simple. The desire to continue the species by mating with a specimen of above average quality.
8: a score of zero (as in tennis)
We all know that this isn't love. Gimme a break.
5: a god or personification of love
9: capitalized Christian Science : god
A god of love? Sounds like backwash from the Ancient Greeks. Superstition and mysticism trying to lend credibility to the human experience. How about instead of trying to blame your decisions on an outside force, you accept that the people you love are your choices?
God. The big 'G' god. Master of the Universes. The Creator. If He exists, then it could be acceptable that He is Love, but not just Love. He would have created love, but would never have limited Himself to just being it. If God exists, He is something more than the sum of everything in our Universe. To limit Him to one human emotion is preposterous! God would be everything, and everything is NOT love.
But the true definition of love is up there in the definition. It really is. Attachment and devotion are REALLY close to what love is. I'll give you my definition:
10: A strong attachment and empathy for the welfare of another.
I believe my definition trumps the other nine. Love is more than desire or kindness. Love is a sense of union and identity. Love is extending your 'selfishness' onto another.
So, on this day of love, remember that while we may have a million definitions of love, there really is only one true love. Appreciate the love offered you. Embrace it and enjoy it, because it truly is a rare thing. Thank you for your time.
(this information is from www.mirriamwebster.com and is the English definition only.)
Main Entry:1love
Pronunciation: \ˈləv\ Function:noun Etymology:Middle English, from Old English lufu; akin to Old High German luba love, Old English lēof dear, Latin lubēre, libēre to pleaseDate:before 12th century
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties love for a child> (2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers (3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration love> b (1): a beloved person : darling -often used as a term of endearment (2)British -used as an informal term of address
4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God
5: a god or personification of love
6: an amorous episode : love affair
7: the sexual embrace : copulation
8: a score of zero (as in tennis)
9: capitalized Christian Science : god
- at love
: holding one's opponent scoreless in tennis
- in love
: inspired by affection
--
A pretty bland explanation, isn't it? The attempt to quantify the emotion of love (or pretty much any emotion) seems to diminish it. Just as in my previous entry I told you there were many types of fear, there seems to be more than one type of love. This, however, is incorrect. There is one type of love, as in the traditional sense of the word. Given the English languages tendencies to use a single word to describe many things and create a misasma of confusion, I think it may be time to disqualify most of the above definitions.
1 a (1): strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.
Affection. This is a very skewed word. Affection is a soft feeling that some who claim to love never feel. To them, love is busting your ass sixty hours a week and making it look easy while juggling busy weekends with soccer practice and doctor's visits. It means sometimes being the bad guy who has to punish. Love isn't affection or obligation. I'd say this first definition is invalid.
(2): attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers.
This one is easy. Attraction is not love, or I'd be in love with Angelina Jolie, and like the definition above, affection is not something expressed by everyone who loves.
(3): affection based on admiration, benevolence, or common interests
Well now. There's affection again. BZZT! WRONG! Benevolence? Do only benevolent people love? Are only benevolent people loved? I'd have to say no. Common interests? What, are we reducing love to the level of some kind of club? CLUB LOVE! That sounds sincere. An assurance of love? People lie about love all the time. It doesn't make it love. Wrong too.
2: warm attachment, enthusiasm, or devotion
Attachment! I think we have a winner! Warm attachment? No. Look at Wuthering Heights. Love is not always warm. Enthusiasm? Again, love is sometimes quite reserved. Devotion? No. Some people are devoted to causes and generals but they do not love them. But devotion is close. Devotion and attachment. There may be a little to this one...
3 a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration love> b (1): a beloved person : darling -often used as a term of endearment (2)British -used as an informal term of address
Can you love something that isn't even alive? Is it healthy? If I professed my love for a nickel collection, would that make me strange? I'd say you can only truly love something alive or which contains living beings. I suppose someone could love the L.A. Dodgers, but I think that's more of a devotion and a fascination or envy than love. Terms of endearment? Not love.
4 a: unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another: as (1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind (2): brotherly concern for others b: a person's adoration of God
Unselfish? There's a HUGE misstatement. No one is unselfish. We, as human beings, are driven by self. The desire to be with someone and to have someone in our lives is driven by the self. Unselfish is impossible. Selfish is NOT a bad thing. We'll tackle God below. A brotherly concern for others? There's an interesting sentence. Why brotherly? How about a kinship with others? A bond with others that have common interests and whose lives enrich our own. It still isn't love. I'd call that community (in a utopic sense.)
6: an amorous episode : love affair
7: the sexual embrace : copulation
Love? No. Lust. The animal desire to procreate is NOT love. If it was, then longworms feel love. Hell, they probably don't even feel lust. This is instinct, pure and simple. The desire to continue the species by mating with a specimen of above average quality.
8: a score of zero (as in tennis)
We all know that this isn't love. Gimme a break.
5: a god or personification of love
9: capitalized Christian Science : god
A god of love? Sounds like backwash from the Ancient Greeks. Superstition and mysticism trying to lend credibility to the human experience. How about instead of trying to blame your decisions on an outside force, you accept that the people you love are your choices?
God. The big 'G' god. Master of the Universes. The Creator. If He exists, then it could be acceptable that He is Love, but not just Love. He would have created love, but would never have limited Himself to just being it. If God exists, He is something more than the sum of everything in our Universe. To limit Him to one human emotion is preposterous! God would be everything, and everything is NOT love.
But the true definition of love is up there in the definition. It really is. Attachment and devotion are REALLY close to what love is. I'll give you my definition:
10: A strong attachment and empathy for the welfare of another.
I believe my definition trumps the other nine. Love is more than desire or kindness. Love is a sense of union and identity. Love is extending your 'selfishness' onto another.
So, on this day of love, remember that while we may have a million definitions of love, there really is only one true love. Appreciate the love offered you. Embrace it and enjoy it, because it truly is a rare thing. Thank you for your time.