What Exactly Is Love?

I decided to challenge myself and look for a definition of ‘love’ I looked it up and found many things. But no definite idea of what love truly is. Is it eternal? Does die like roses in wintertime? Or does it never reveal itself? I took the liberty of reading many stories, all focusing on love, and I added in the definitions. I came up with this definition, it may be long but it explains love in a way that anyone could understand in a heartbeat.

Love - A feeling of knowing someone inside and out, without really knowing him or her at all. While love is used in many contexts, the true definition is hard to find. Love can be platonic, in the sense that someone only loves someone else if they buy him or her things. On the other hand, love can be everlasting. When I say everlasting most people think I mean forever, but I don’t. Everlasting as in the love doesn’t leave because hardships happen, it can survive test after test. Nevertheless, maybe it will eventually run out. You never know; we’re only human after all. However, the love most people misinterpret the most is First Love. The feeling is new, and no one person can describe it completely, because for each person it is different.

One person might think of love as the ability to actually trust someone and know that they won’t be betrayed. Another person might feel the excitement, knowing they’re in a room by the excited tingle running down they’re spine. There is also the being able to show your true self, the one you hide from everyone else for fear of being rejected. But you know that the person you show would never turn on you. They would do anything to protect you, and give you confidence while they’re at it. But people might mistake that for just friendship, it depends on who is feeling the emotion. Or yet still, it is being in perfect sync with another, knowing the exact thing they’re thinking, finishing each other sentences, even knowing it’s them calling without thinking.

I hope that one day I will find my feeling of love. I know it is hard to wish something like that and know if it will really come true. However, I know mine will come true, because it already has. I will not tell you what it felt like; because you will keep looking for the feeling I describe, and miss the love of your life. Love truly is a mysterious thing, changing its appearance for each person; it’s hard to find 10 people who experience the same feeling. I hope that one day; everyone will find their perfect match. And if that partner dies young, I hope that they are brave enough to open their hearts yet again, and risk it all. For the rewards, greatly outnumber the risks.

There is also the love between friends and family members. No matter how bad you screw up, usually, your family will still love you. In fact the main reason a family member could actually hate you, is if you messed up their lives. Parents that go to jail end up being hated by their children, for the simple fact that after they get out they want to go back to the ways things were. But it isn’t the same, they’ve been gone! Locked up, away from the ones that loved them! All because of something THEY did! A hate like that, that has time to grow and fester, is hard to put out. Not even familial ties can douse the flares!

There is also love between friends, no it doesn’t mean that you would necessarily kiss them; it means that they’ll be there through thick and thin. They care for you, they will help stick up for you, and if you have a problem they will help you fix it. Love like that is even rarer to find than most would think, because usually as it is growing, it is ruined. I hope people realize that and work hard on improving ties they do have, along with ties that haven’t even started yet.