Many persons interpret the term love differently, which causes each person to exhibit love the way they perceive it. As a result, many schools of thought about what love is. Some of which are wrong and represent a wrong interpretation of the true meaning of love. For example, some people view love as entitlement, while others as a privilege. However, you have viewed love previously; in this article, you shall be learning about the true meaning of love.
The word love has lost its true meaning over time due to its misrepresentation by the different media houses, movies, public figures and magazines. However, love is something beautiful to experience as it usually involves your emotions, characterized by intimacy, passion, and commitment. It is one of the most important human emotions, and it can be influenced biologically, psychologically, spiritually and mentally.
What love is not?
As earlier stated, due to the misconception of love. It is the most used word globally and yet least understood. Here are some things to note about what love is not;
Love is not a Right:
Love isn’t an entitlement; it’s not a right. Love is not a right means no one is entitled to be loved by anybody, no matter your status or position. Even a child is not entitled to be loved by his or her parents. Whoever sees love as a right is getting it wrong because you cannot force anyone to love you. When love is forced, it is no longer love, but it is called coercion or slavery.
Love is not a contract:
You must have been surprised to know that love is not a contract. This is because people who do get married in court receives a contract or agreement stating the period of marriage. However, there is a significant difference between love and marriage. Not everyone gets married because they are in love with their partner. Some persons get married for children, others for material possessions. They may have signed the marriage contract, but their heart is far apart with no connection. This invariably means that physically they are bonded together by a contract, but the contract did not state if they will love each other. So, love cannot be created by a written contract or terminated when the contract is terminated.
Love is not possession:
Some persons feel that when they love someone, they own that person. This is a wrong way of defining love, and it stems from an entitlement mentality. A person may love another person doesn’t mean either party owns the other. For example, loving someone is not a way of owning their properties or their bodies. Unfortunately, this has become a sad norm in society, as we see young people in relationships who wrongly define the concept of sex.
Love is not for gain:
Love is not a business venture, as you can not pay someone to love you or for loving you. Also, love is not a means of satisfying any selfish desire or motive. This is because your partner may be deeply hurt in the process of satisfying your desires.
What is love
As earlier stated, love is something beautiful to experience when you and your partner have the right mentality. Here are some things to note about what love is;
Love is a choice:
Love is a choice, and it can be controlled like every emotion (sadness, depression and happiness). It is a conscious decision and not any involuntary action. So you can decide the person you want to love and allow that consciousness to be ever-present with you. For example, you can choose to love someone with certain traits like honesty, faithfulness and endowment. People often allow their emotions to get better and assume it is love. When in love, you are the major decider and not your hormones.
Love is unconditional:
Unconditional love means that the reason why a person shows love isn’t based on any gain. More to it is that you are not expecting a reciprocation of the same proportion of love from the other person. For example, the love between a mother and her child is often called unconditional love. The mother loves the child without expecting the child to love her back. Also, she expresses her love for her child with so much joy and vigor, never for once counting the cost of her love.
Love is giving:
Love is not only in mere words, but actions must back it up. Just as John 3:16 clearly states how God loved and gave His only son to come and die for humanity. You can see that you cannot love without giving. Giving is seen as the highest expression of love, especially sacrificial giving. You can not proclaim your love for someone without the need for corresponding actions. Giving may be in the form of material possession, time, talent and influence. However, it is important to note that you are not loving because of these things, but giving comes naturally as a result of love.
Love is real:
Love is real because it can actually be felt and is not just some chemical reaction in the body, as science has revealed. The realness of love is seen in the memories made, lives touched, the relationship built, and lessons learned. In the case of the memories made, some memories may never be forgotten no matter the distance between both parties. This is because everything about the relationship was practical. When love is expressed genuinely, lives are affected, irrespective of who is giving or receiving the love at the moment.
Conclusion
Lasting relationships where both parties involved are marked by love. Not the selfish kind of love where someone gets involved for some gains. Instead, it is based on giving, conscious decision to accept your partner, loving with restrain, etc. Understanding these concepts will make your love life beautiful, and you can build a long-lasting relationship with your spouse, children, family members, colleague, etc.
