What is love?

[wescape]

Mary (miss taken) suggested this thread be started and I thought it was a good idea. Here's what I found on www.dictionary.com for the word love:

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
3.
a.Sexual passion.
b.Sexual intercourse.
c.A love affair.
4.An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
5.A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
6.An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
7.
a.A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
b.The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
8.Love Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
9.often Love Christianity. Charity.
10. Sports. A zero score in tennis.

Additionally, here is a section from 1 Corinthians 13 taken out of the paraphrase The Message :

"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit."

I'd "love" to hear anymore thoughts! :)

Wes

[miss taken]

Mary (miss taken) suggested this thread be started and I thought it was a good idea. Here's what I found on www.dictionary.com for the word love:

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
3.
a.Sexual passion.
b.Sexual intercourse.
c.A love affair.
4.An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
5.A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
6.An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
7.
a.A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
b.The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
8.Love Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
9.often Love Christianity. Charity.
10. Sports. A zero score in tennis.

Additionally, here is a section from 1 Corinthians 13 taken out of the paraphrase The Message :

"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit."

I'd "love" to hear anymore thoughts! :)

Wes


Thanks Wes,
My thinking around love started from defining what it isn't
1)it is not coersion
2) it is not manipulation
3) it is not narrow-minded
4) it is not in bigotry
5) It is not fanatical
6) It is not extreme
7) It is not in violence
8) It is not in apathy
9) It is not in hatred
10) It is not in fear
11) It is not in possessiveness
12) It is not in greed
13) It is not in envy or jealousy
14) It is not in nepotism
15) It is not in dishonesty

My feelings about love changed somewhat when I had my son, and consequently my feelings about who God is (since I believe he represents love).

Love IS in giving someone guidance but allowing them to make mistakes, and giving them the freedow to choose

Love IS in putting someone elses needs before your own

Love IS in forgiveness, honesty, truth, kindness, gentleness, humility, meekness.

I like the 10 commandments because they seem to be a good ethical guideline, and they form most of the basis of our legal system.

They protect life, the family, property.

Mary

[wescape]

I like your definitions Mary... :)

Wes

[Jeff_Ricks]

Mary (miss taken) suggested this thread be started and I thought it was a good idea. Here's what I found on www.dictionary.com for the word love:

1. A deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.
2. A feeling of intense desire and attraction toward a person with whom one is disposed to make a pair; the emotion of sex and romance.
3.
a.Sexual passion.
b.Sexual intercourse.
c.A love affair.
4.An intense emotional attachment, as for a pet or treasured object.
5.A person who is the object of deep or intense affection or attraction; beloved. Often used as a term of endearment.
6.An expression of one's affection: Send him my love.
7.
a.A strong predilection or enthusiasm: a love of language.
b.The object of such an enthusiasm: The outdoors is her greatest love.
8.Love Mythology. Eros or Cupid.
9.often Love Christianity. Charity.
10. Sports. A zero score in tennis.

Additionally, here is a section from 1 Corinthians 13 taken out of the paraphrase The Message :

"If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing.

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.

Love cares more for others than for self.

Love doesn't want what it doesn't have.

Love doesn't strut,

Doesn't have a swelled head,

Doesn't force itself on others,

Isn't always "me first,"

Doesn't fly off the handle,

Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

Doesn't revel when others grovel,

Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

Puts up with anything,

Trusts God always,

Always looks for the best,

Never looks back,

But keeps going to the end.

Love never dies. Inspired speech will be over some day; praying in tongues will end; understanding will reach its limit."

I'd "love" to hear anymore thoughts! :)

Wes

I prefer Webster's definition over Paul's definition. I think Paul's criteria for what constitutes love is so unrealistic that if I were to accept it as the meaning of love I'd have to say that probably no one has ever loved.

Puts up with anything?
Trusts God always?
Always looks for the best?
Never looks back?
Keeps going to the end?
Love never gives up.
Doesn't fly off the handle?

Can anyone here say they meet Paul's criteria for love? I can't.

Jeff

[wescape]

Jeff,

I agree that no mortal human has ever really loved within Paul's definition and I think that is exactly his point.

Wes

[bigeddy]

Here's my definition which, when accepted as common, explains some of the confusion surrounding our use of the word.

"Love is that feeling you feel you are feeling when you feel you are feeling a feeling you felt you never felt before."

Ed

[miss taken]

Here's my definition which, when accepted as common, explains some of the confusion surrounding our use of the word.

"Love is that feeling you feel you are feeling when you feel you are feeling a feeling you felt you never felt before."

Ed

roflol :D

Mary

[silverfox]

Love is amazing. Everyone seems to have their own unique definition of it.

What I find even more amazing is how we, as humans, confuse so much with love??? Just throwing that out there.

But then again maybe that is what love is to us as individuals? At the given time that we need it?

Example:

Love is security?
Love is devotion?
Love is meaning you don't have to say you're sorry? (okay, let's skip that one - not sure why it popped into my head, must be a 70's thing)
Love is comfort?

etc, etc, etc
Romantic love vs. just plain ol' love???

Amazing. It's an amazing thing, IMO.

[peter_mary]

Love is when we experience another person for everything they are, their strengths and their weaknesses, and we find that we accept them, honor them, and see them as inherently valuable as we see ourselves.

It is one authentic person experiencing completely the authenticity of another.

Oh, and it's what the makes the world go 'round! :D

Paul