What is Love?

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I believe love is an impression of the mind that we have to play a part in society. We do not know love in the first place - that is why we explore its meaning. I also think there is no love of the self. That is a general idea. Because that love might just be felt as protection of one's property - whether or not material.

With this exploration, I think there are three (3) stages of love in our lifetime: (1) Love is everywhere. When we were young, we understood love as affection for our parents, friends, and neighbors. We don't care much about what will happen because as long as we feel loved by others, we don't need and have to be scared of anything. Love is dependent on the people we know. Secondly, (2) love now becomes a responsibility. As we grow, we see different perspectives of love. Our thoughts are influenced by what we see and can even devour what we feel. We question ourselves, if we want to involve in this situation, would this satisfy my needs or just my desires? What are the consequences? How would this affect the course of my life? We try to question our stability, our status, and our knowledge about the matter. That is why most teenagers and early adults are eager to explore pleasure and attention in this stage. Because we are ignorant. We do not know what responsibility means until we meet the consequences. Lastly, (3) love ends in commitment. In this stage, we see it as a never-ending duty. That is why we choose whom we love. We are not afraid; we are just readying ourselves. Because we are now knowledgeable enough not just by what we see but also about what we have experienced and felt throughout our life.

We will realize how powerful love is when we get through these stages. Sometimes, we have to let go of things we hold dear. We have to think of the consequences of our actions. If we are to love someone but are unreciprocated, what can we do? Does offering so much love give suffocation? How much is right? How much is too much? Would he stay if I gave him my all? These are some of the questions we might encounter in these different stages.

It's fascinating to explain what love truly is as we have different interpretations of it. One might say love is blind, but one might question it. One might say love is everywhere, but where is that everywhere? That is why I see it more as logic than a powerful emotion.

But how about you? What's your take on love?