Defining Love

I've come to define love a bit different than the usual definition. This comes from my own experience with it.

What is love?

Love, to me, is being there even when the other person is not. Even when the other person may never be.

Why, you ask?

For me, it is because I have tried and tried to move on but I can't. I also believe the universe can change its mind for a stubborn heart. I think holding on can impact future lifetimes if the connection doesn't form for the other person in this one. I think the most basic part of unconditional is in the word itself. If someone must love you in return for you to love that person, then that is a condition, and therefore not unconditional love.

How does this definition differ from the norm?

When you speak to most people about love, they are going to tell you to find someone that gives you the type of love you deserve. This is true in a sense and to a certain degree but where I differ within it is that I believe there are so many cases when we could remain loyal but we choose not to do so. When it comes down to it, we all crave someone that will be there no matter what mistakes we make. However, finding that is extremely rare. The pressure to be perfect in this way or that or overall for a partner is a huge problem in society. People would be a lot better versions of themselves if they felt connections were true and loyal. This, in turn, would make the world a better place.

How is this definition including loving myself?

In my case, the one I love makes me want to improve myself everyday even though I don't have her. This is because I see in her what every human wants most : peace. I see what it looks like shining from within her. It bursts from her eyes. I also know that finding my way to the peaceful version of myself that resembles her peace would increase my chances of miraculously having her one day. People crave a confident, independent, at peace person. People having all those qualities are irresistible and quite rare. I know this because in all my adulthood I have never seen anyone equivalent to her level of happiness, not even celebrities.

How does it make a difference?

When I imagine the one I love truly understanding the way I feel about her, I truly believe she would then want to be mine. Getting to the point where she truly sees it is the tricky part. I think it is important to keep hope. Love is the most powerful fuel for hope. Love is the most powerful force for humans.

Reference

I do not identify with a single religion but the culture around me as a child involved Christianity. My belief is that all religions are based on a universal love. They are just different interpretations of love based on how people of different regions interpreted love. Below you can see a reference from the NIV Bible that is relevant to this article.

1 Corinthians 13

4 - Love is patient

5 - Love is not self seeking.

7 - Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 - Love never fails.

The last one is particularly beautiful. One way I interpret it is to say love will always make a difference for as long as you hold onto it. It may not always be visible or clear, but it matters and will continue to matter.

Here is a poem I wrote on this topic:

Thank you for reading. Please consider sharing with others to make a difference. I hope it makes a difference for you as well. I enjoy helping others learn about the true meaning of love. Love is a main focus of most of my writing. On my profile you can find many love poems and a few love fiction stories.