Discussion » Questions » Emotions » Love - such a huge word, with so many meanings. How would you define it? Or do you interpret it always according to context?

Love - such a huge word, with so many meanings. How would you define it? Or do you interpret it always according to context?

If it were up to me, I'd have those eight ancient Greek words for it revived:

Eros - romantic, passionate, erotic, sexual
Philia - affectionate, fraternal, between friends and equals,
Agape - selfless, universal, empathic, altruistic, ethical
Storge - familiar, the old oxytocin feeling for someone who fits like an old sock
Mania - obsessive for anyone or anything, a kind of madness
Ludus - playful
Pragma - enduring love, only known when you get there
Philautia - for self, necessary for healthy functioning, but unhealthy in excess.

But then we'd need still more words for moments when we say we "love" ice-cream or Vivaldi.

So I have my own way of defining love:
"love is that which consciously cares for the well-being of life."
But how accurate is it?
The word love in my definition could just as easily be substituted for wisdom or goodness.
So have I understood the essence of love or not?

When I say "life", I mean any plant, animal or human,
both close to me in time and place
and everywhere on the planet.
In a way, I include even the worms, bacteria and fungi that create nutrients in the soil.

What do you think, friends? What is love for you?




Posted - February 22, 2020

Responses


  • 6477
    You are correct, it's a huge topic, and hard to define. I'd say there are many forms of love, but love *is* the thing that motivates us all. Love for mother, father, sister, brother, lover, child, pet.... these are the reasons we strive and succeed 
      February 22, 2020 3:30 PM MST
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  • 4631
    Indeed! :)

    The garbage-truck driver doing his rounds in the early morning is practising love even if he's not thinking about or feeling it at the time. Where would we be without these essential people who deal with our waste? Some of it includes poisonous chemicals, razor blades, used syringes and condoms, broken glass, explosive aerosols, soiled nappies and contaminated bandages. The safety equipment and protocols are now built into the job, but mistakes still occur.

    How much thought or appreciation do we give to the almost invisible many who make our lives so much better? This post was edited by inky at February 22, 2020 7:21 PM MST
      February 22, 2020 6:27 PM MST
    1

  • 5391

    Countless thinkers have pondered the meaning of love in its many forms and aspects, but few have, to my knowledge, been able to render a single. encompassing definition. 

    Love, to my mind, is the superlative term we most apply to advanced states of affection, devotion, favor, respect and altruism. 

    Love makes the world go ‘round. Love is blind. Love knows no bounds. Love is the greatest gift. Love is the beauty of the soul. All you need is love.
    In all of its poetic incantations, love conveys a perfection of relationship. IMHO


    This post was edited by Don Barzini at March 9, 2020 12:31 AM MDT
      February 22, 2020 5:53 PM MST
    3

  • 4631
    Your definition works very well, I think, as a way of generalising the way we use the word.

    How much easier it would be for learners of English if such a definition was included in the OED, Webster, and Macquarie?

    But could it be argued that, for the sake of clarity, we need better-nuanced words?

    For instance, in romantic love, there is virtually no true love at all, merely amorous projection of a purely fantasised ideal. After all, neither yet knows who the other really is.
    While in spousal love, one partner might say they "love" the other but the passion may have died out decades ago. Psychologists now assert that the ability to stay married depends on the ability to accept that passionate love is temporary, that it inevitably dies with over-familiarity and fading hormones. That oxytocin and friendship become the only glue.
    And then, would we not do better with some other word for the addictive love of drugs, alcohol, sugar, overeating, gambling, etc?

    Or do we prefer the word "love" for all of it because it suits our unconscious agendas to remain vague?
    I don't mean to argue that this is what I believe - but is there some element of this in our cultural norms?





    This post was edited by inky at February 22, 2020 7:21 PM MST
      February 22, 2020 6:19 PM MST
    2

  • 5391

    I think we could make an argument that the word “love“ is sometimes used to unduly ennoble conditions that may be more effectively described in other terms. Maybe for lack of a broader vocabulary. 

    As is the case with human passions, the terms we use to articulate them are also subjective. But I would add, not without merit.  :)

      February 22, 2020 7:02 PM MST
    2

  • 4631
    Now you've got me thinking. :)
    I'll be spending a day or two contemplating the subjective perception of "love," especially as it refers to passions for non-human objects, activities and substances.
    Will reply again when I've come to some sort of hypothesis.
      February 22, 2020 7:18 PM MST
    2

  • 5391
    I’d love to hear it. 
      February 22, 2020 7:41 PM MST
    1

  • 4631
    :)

    Soon.





      February 22, 2020 11:54 PM MST
    0

  • 22853
    I've always liked singer/composer/musician Howard Jones' thoughts on love. Very astute and accurate. And loving to me.




    "What Is  Love?"

    I love you whether or not you love me
    I love you even if you think that I don't
    Sometimes I find you doubt my love for you
    But I don't mind
    Why should I mind
    Why should I mind

    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway
    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway

    Can anybody love anyone so much that they will never fear
    Never worry never be sad
    The answer is they cannot love this much nobody can
    This is why I don't mind you doubting

    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway
    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway


    And maybe love is letting people be just what they want to be
    The door always must be left unlocked
    To love when circumstance may lead someone away from you
    And not to spend the time just doubting

    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway
    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway

    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway
    What is love anyway
    Does anybody love anybody anyway
















    This post was edited by WelbyQuentin at March 9, 2020 12:27 AM MDT
      March 9, 2020 12:24 AM MDT
    0