“LOVE IS MANY A SPLENDOR THING”

The world’s greatest philosophers, poets, logicians, and theorist have been trying for centuries to answer the age old question, what is love? Love has a vast number of meanings, which may vary drastically from person to person. Although anyone can give an opinion, a person will never truly understand true love unless the experience it.

            What is love? Is it a four letter word that causes a person to act out of character? A choice one makes to put their partners wishes and needs above all else. Maybe it’s that special friendship that turns into a life-long commitment. Or is love when you and that person you can’t live without vow to spend the rest of your lives honoring and protecting each other, adoring one another “till death do you part”? All of this might be true, but according to Webster’s New World Dictionary love by definition can be a deep tender feeling of affection for or attachment or devotion to a person. It can be the strong liking for or interest in something. Love is even defined as being God’s tender regard and concern for mankind. I think when summed up love by definition means a strong feeling of affection/passion for someone or something. But can love truly be so simple and surface? Yeah, I don’t think so. Not with the emotions that are brought forth when the word love is said. There is no way that such a profound word can be summarized in a derisory ten word definition.

            Everyone knows that there are different ‘levels’ of love. For example the love of your dog- Fido- differs from that of your grandmother-Miu miu- and the love of your grandmother is different than that of your partner- Tony. Now if you love Miu miu the same way you love Tony and you love Tony the same way you love Fido, then quite frankly you have issues. Another point I would like to make is that loving a person is very different from being in love with them. For instance when you say “I love you” to your mom before you go to bed or to your dad when he goes to work in the morning or even on a phone call to your brother who’s on tour in Iraq, you are saying it from a sense of familiarity. You have known this person all your life and all you know how to do is love them. This love is not something that gradually grew but a feeling that you have always had and one that is branded on your heart and in your mind. Like, when a person asks “do you love your mom?” the person who has always had a normal relationship with their mother will almost automatically say yes. It’s almost compulsory to feel this way. On the other hand when you say “I love you” to your mate, if it is truly sincere love, then it is coming from a place that is almost unknown. When you say those three magical words to that special someone you feel a new feeling, one that you have never experienced before. It’s invigorating and terrifying, blissful and nerve-racking all at the same time. You can’t describe it despite your greatest efforts, but you know that it’s right, you don’t know how you know but you know.

            There are three types of love: Eros, Philos, and Agape. Eros is known as erotic love, usually shared between intimate partners. Philos is acknowledged as the love amid friends or within your family. And lastly, there is Agape love. Agape is the unconditional love for another. Agape is completely selfless and unadulterated; it is when one gives out all the love that can be given without concern if it will ever be returned. An example of Agape is said to be the love of God; the way God loves us-his children- no matter what.

             I can give you millions of definitions, facts, opinions, and statistics on the subject of love. I can tell you what some of the world’s best theorist have theorized and philosophers have philosophized. I can read you countless articles and books on the extensive theme of love. And I can load you with knowledge incomparable, but in the end the question still stands, what is love? As far as I’m concerned love is what you make it, so make the most of it.