Love, What Is Love?

Love, I guess we all have our own definitions, would you agree?

When we hear the word love, we think of relationships, we think of our partners, but love is a lot more than that, right? A mothers' love, sisters', brothers', cousins', friends', best friends', pets', some of us even love our phones, laptops, shoes, clothes.

Some would agree that the word love is overused, and I guess that they are right. "I love that movie." The movie you won't even be thinking about next month? "I love my phone." The phone you will get an upgrade on and give away next year, or throw away into your drawers, sell it...whatever. You get what I mean. Love love love, when someone tells you they love you, can you really even believe it anymore?

I'm going to focus on the relationship type of love, you know—boyfriend/girlfriend, mushy stuff.

I love you.

When is it okay to say this?

Lust.

Do we often get these two confused?

From experience, saying them three words is HUGE, and it is not something you say after one hour (believe me, some people do). Love at first sight? Maybe for you, not for me. Love for me is everything. Commitment, loyalty, selflessness, caring for a person more than yourself, sacrifice, pain, forgiveness, trust, companionship, risk and many more other things. Risk, let's talk about that. What exactly do you risk in love? Well, I guess we could all agree that love is never planned, it just happens. "To love is to risk getting hurt." We are trusting a person not to hurt us right? Not to mock our love, not to give us any pain, not to break our trust...or our hearts. That alone is a huge risk. Nobody wants to get hurt, nobody wants to get played or betrayed. I've been in love, and I've been hurt. I risked it all and honestly, regardless of the pain, I would do it all over again for the right person...but that's just me. Would you risk it all?

So what do you do when your partner says those three words? Do you say it back? What if you don't love them?

What You Don't Do Is:

• Say "Aw, thanks." Or anything similar to that. This could make them feel hurt or awkward, they may get the wrong idea and feel you don't care..

What You Could Do Is:

• Be honest about your feelings, and be honest with yourself.
• Don't feel pressured into saying it back if you are not ready.
• Reassurance is key, always assure them that you care, and you're heading in the same direction.
• Do not act weird after they have said it, a big no-no.

Many people say that when you love someone, they become your best friend. I personally believe this is true. Love is a beautiful feeling. You want to tell that person everything. You want to care for them. You want to give them your everything. Love knows no boundaries. A person who loves you is a person who makes you feel whole. One hug from them can make you forget all your troubles, as you're just stuck in the moment with them...nothing else matters. I know you're thinking about someone, I guess you're in love (joke, don't take me too seriously). Love isn't always perfect, it's not always a fairy tale, it's about fighting for each other regardless of the obstacles which may come in your way. Love is easy to spell, difficult to define and impossible to live without.

Lust!

Love and lust, huge differences. Would you agree? Lust is a very short-lived feeling which usually fades away after a while. Whereas love is long-term, right? I mean once you love someone, there's always a part of you which will always love them no matter what. Lust is a feeling which you won't remember forever. Lust is more about you. You want something from a person. "I want you to make me feel good." Whereas love, you look for what you can give to that person. "I want to make you happy, I want to make you feel good." Love is unconditional, whereas lust is more "I'll only love you if you do this for me." It's confusing for sure, and plenty of people will get mixed up with lust and love, but it's just how us humans work. There are a lot of differences in lust and love, but I think you guys get the idea. Just know, there is a difference.

Everybody deserves love, and everyone is loved by somebody. Whether it be your mum, your dad, your friends, whoever. If somebody loves you, don't hurt them, don't take them for granted. Love sometimes is a make or break. It could break a person, losing someone they love, and that may have a huge effect on them. Always be gentle with someone who loves you, if you don't feel the same never be negative about it, for that could really hurt a person.

"I love you more than I have ever found a way to say to you."

Are you in love?