What is love to you?

[Yume]

I mean specifically the significant other love, not family or friendship love.
Of course your significant other could also have that family/friendship love,
but what sets them apart from all the rest?

I see people get into relationships and say they love each other, break up, find someone else, and say the same thing. Often the person hates their ex by now or something.

What's the difference between the first person who you say you love to (maybe they screwed you over, ended on bad terms etc) and the person you grow old with?
I know a lot of people say "I'll love you forever no matter what" and then something happens and they just absolutely hate each other. Or people (not just kids) announce that they love their boyfriend/girlfriend after a couple months (or even weeks) of dating.

A lot of cliche definitions I've seen are
you'd do anything for them
want to be with them forever
they're you're world
can't stop thinking about them
always want to be with them
really care for them
etc

^ okay that's all nice and dandy, but in reality, you need to have a job or something and if your mind is in the clouds, you're never going to get work done, you lose your job (or can't get one), live on the streets and die.

A lot of people define love as caring for someone, wanting to protect them, make them happy, look after each other, be loyal to each other, respect each other. Etc (not the cliche'd fantasy relationshit stuff).
If that's the definition of love, then yes I love.
But this love applies to my family and friends too.
How do you take this step further?

I know there's the spur-of the moment "I love you" where you're just blinded by happiness. You don't know if you'll end up together or not, but hoping you will. but... if you don't... what's the difference between what you say to this person, and the person you celebrate your 50th anniversary with?

[Vith]

For me, it means not being in any sort of relationship.

[PKShota]

To me, when you love someone, you'll constantly be looking after them. Like, even if on text or on Facebook or whatever, everyday, it's like "how're you doing?" and "trouble with hw tonight?"

You'll ask them if they're okay even if it's from a minor cough or throat clearing. You'll always ask them if they had homework problems from last night. You'll always ask them if they're tired. You would stay with them if possible overnight or even more if they're at the hospital (not really but still works).

Having to ask so much isn't what a normal best friend would do. Best friends would just hang out and have fun. A person in love would make sure they're lover is fine at all times.

It's...sort of vague, but it's how I see it. I can't really describe it in other ways because those ways are already generic.

[NiBo]

It's to know the other (their flaws and strengths) and what they can become (what are the capabilities and in what they can get better at). It's also let the other be free but still know how to impose limits (like in the case of children).
There's the caring part, too, take care of and be taken care of in the case of couples and even friends. If someone take care of the other one most of the time then it becomes like a parent-kid relationship rather than a couple relationship, there should be a balance.
Old couples know each other very well and usually have the balance between "protector"/"protected" roles (they switching these roles between them often, neither "plays" one of these roles for too long). And newer couples are usually "he/she is cute and nice", don't know each other well.

[Vith]

Originally Posted by PKShota

You'll ask them if they're okay even if it's from a minor cough or throat clearing.

That's not love, that is just being neurotic.

I jest, I jest.

[kmelfina]

I don't even know, so I guess using the "When you Run Someone, the more you want to kirr them!" song is a bad example xD

If I ever found love, it would just be profound affection, caring, wanting to be with said person for ever and ever in life. Unfortunately in my life I've seen so many break ups [of others] that relationships with a significant other is discouraged.

[Chibiursa]

Love for me is a special feeling to someone, that includes a package of caring, trust,sacrifice, and understanding ...

[TheBlackCatXIII]

True love to me means sacrifice, trust, commitment, understanding and accepting, on top of all the little things love might contain. Someone who is willing to endure the times and love you even when you hate them (even though that person didn't do anything wrong), that person would wait for whatever time it takes for you to come back, welcoming you with open arms when you return.
Someone who does things in your best interest, not just doing things or giving you things that you like and spoiling you.
That's what true love means to me, true love should contain at least those things, I wouldn't label it as true love otherwise.

[Harlequin]

If I had to define it... I'd say, if you've been with someone for a pretty long time, and you still get those nervous butterflies in your stomach when you go out with them.

[Eternal]

love is something that reduces everything to nothing, including love itself

god.. i gotta solve my own sentence mm

[Adun]

Love, in its relationship form, is a lasting commitment to a single person. Ideally, once you have decided whom you want to spend the rest of your life with, you spend the rest of your life pursuing a harmony of balance between happiness and chaos in your relationship. Despite how perfect one believes love is, love is a roller coaster ride of emotion. There will always be conflict but conversely there should also always be peace.

It goes without saying that if a relationship is unhealthy for you, you should get the **** out while you still can and find somebody else.

[Javier]

Originally Posted by Lyn

Love to me is...

• Having someone in your life who, on the balance of things, brings out the best in you and not the worst.
• Accepting and caring for someone through all kinds of trials and tribulations; not abandoning this person just because their problems might inconvenience us.
• Having someone in your life who changes you in a positive way and is always pushing you to improve and do better.
• Having a person who makes us aware of who we are and realize our true potential.
• Having a person who is prepared to help us through our mistakes.
  

You can be really attracted to a person; you can think about them constantly; you can feel like you could do absolutely anything for them. None of that means you love a person, because only time will tell. Ultimately, love reflects not so much on the person you love but on yourself. How has your love changed you? How much fuller, richer and grander is your vision of life since you fell in love?

I subscribe to the aforementioned principles. Lyn, you couldn't have said it better...

For the longest time, I couldn't differentiate infatuation from love. Somewhere along the line, I realized that love really isn't about finding your "other half" or completing yourself. It's really about being with that someone who's gonna make you (and who you're gonna make) a better whole.

[Reset]

my gf said love is like riding a bike down a bumpy hill.

cant tell if shes serious

[Lime]

Love is when you seriously bust your butt trying to make life with another person work even AFTER the butterflies leave and you're used to them.

When you finally let yourself be annoyed with the flaws you overlooked when they were still a mystery box waiting to be opened. Yet you don't make such a big deal it kills the relationship cause you won't shut the hell up about them. And because you've let yourself become attached to them and push yourself to keep in mind the things he or she gives you that you needed in a relationship, and thank god that you found someone who cared enough to give you those things.

Oh, and love is when you realize sex is sex. As in, you have too much stuff to do to bother going behind someone's back so just save it for them. John Cheese from Cracked put it in the words i had been looking for for a while: too many people mistake that anxious feeling for love and move on when they feel like the 'spark' is gone, no that's just you looking for a new plaything to 'figure out'.


@ Above post: I had a good laugh. xD

[Orz]

to me this simple music video kinda describes it for me (in real life instead of maplestory ofc) :P not my video btw.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugCAL-8WfQE

[eterny]

I love myself.....

[darkengy]

Love is a tale of joy, conflict & tragedy

[Rhinehart]

You can always count on Yume to ask the tough questions. I like how the phrasing of this question implies that everyone has their own definition of love and that's true. But that said, I really don't know how to answer the question. I've seen, felt, feigned and sensed so many different things. Sometimes it seems so simple and at other times, it seems so complicated.

If I had to give it my best effort (despite feeling I'm probably better off not answering the question), I suppose I'd just have to go with my ideals here and say that love is when you spend your life with somebody. My great aunt and uncle Roberta and Johnny were married their entire adult lives (I remember attending their 50th anniversary party with a lot of the rest of the family). Eventually, Uncle Johnny died and Aunt Roberta was left without him for the first time in over half a century. It devistated her to the point where she lost the ability to speak coherantly and eventually became mute. I think she's died since then, too, though, so they're no longer apart now. But I always admired them and hope I might someday be as lucky as they were.

[CrunchyRoll]

Real love is finding someone whom you want to be with everyday, someone you want to share a life with, who makes you laugh, complements your strengths and weaknesses, but who is fundamentally independent from you. It is not about attachment, or working out dynamics from the past. In other words, she doesn't need you. She chooses to be with you. And vice versa: you don't need her to fill some void in your life—you choose her because you know what you want in life, and she is it.

[Ladynoosy]

there differents kind of love

family love'

friends love ''

bf or gf love ''

Love its Amazing... who not love They Acting .. but they have person special for them they hide the feeling ...

the worse love'' the blind love ...

so love mean for me everything ..ill never live without love