What is love?
The story goes that a group of professionals asked children between the ages of 4 and 8 “What does love mean?” Their answers have circulated via e-mail and the Internet. Many versions exist; perhaps some have been added or omitted, or perhaps the story was not true to begin with. Whatever the case, the answers are heartwarming.
I have often puzzled over the question “What is love?” Everybody seems to have their own idea of what “love” is. A definition for love eludes me, because most discussion about love is descriptive (like writing a poem describing a flower), rather than definitive and compact (like a dictionary definition or a mathematical equation).
People get into relationships because they think they are “in love,” and break up because they think they are no longer “in love.” But what if two people really love each other, but they have wrong or confused ideas about what love is? What if society has taught them that “love” means one thing, when really it means something much different? I believe this happens a lot, and is the cause of much suffering. If only people had the proper perspective on what love really means, they wouldn’t cause each other so much grief.
I don’t have a definition for love. I don’t even know if it’s possible to define love. All I know is that love means unquestioning acceptance of the other person, unquestioning dedication to their happiness, and trust beyond trust. Without these things, love cannot thrive.
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