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you know, i got to thinking. What is love? I mean seriously that word is flung around so much that love is really undefined. How does one know they are in love? Personally i never use the word unless i really mean it, but is that enough? People who have been going out with each other for years say they love each other but could break up in a couple of days. Where is the love there? does love even exist?
Another question, if love exists, then is there such a thing as love at first site?
p.s.: you know it figures that a debate like this would come from me, the self-proclaimed goddess of love and peace^_^
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Depends on what you mean by love... I always take a psychology standpoint. It could very well be just an extremely strong emotion for a living thing... that's probably like platonic love, familial love, that kind of thing. Then there is the love for a partner, which is basically the strong feelings of companionship along with sexual desire. Perhaps that means you can love many many people. I don't like any of the metaphysical standpoints, like "love at first site." I just think it's a feeling, infatuation could be described as love. A friend and a lover, that's probably the closest definition of love.
Personally, I don't think you know if you're in love with someone until you're old and still with that person. Say you're deeply infatuated with someone, you feel it is love, and the situation deems marriage. You don't cheat, you don't disrespect your partner, and you stay together for the rest of your lives. That's the mark of "true" love.
I don't like how the word is tossed around. I don't see myself saying it to a girl anytime soon on my own... now, I may say it if she says it to keep from hurting her feelings, or whatever. It doesn't really matter.
Love means different things to different people... to me, I think the FEELING is common, we can feel it with many people. To say that it is true love... perhaps that's rare. *Shrug*
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05-10-2003, 01:09 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-10-2003, 01:42 AM by SoulEvan.)
I don't believe in categorizing love. I also never say it without meaning it. Some people I say it to take it too lightly. I doubt many really realize the extreme feeling that words holds for me. I love my family, I love my friends, I love some specific people. Honestly, it all means the same to me. I wouldn't go around acting out incest or become just sex buddies with people. Never. I just don't have levels of love. I either do or I don't you know? No almost, kinda, sorta, more than, or less than.
And you don't "fall" in love. Love is a choice. It's not some giant pothole you drive into while you're minding your own business. You choose to love, just like you choose to stop loving. Those are the people who toss the word around. In grade school, most couples won't even stay good friends after they break up. That's some feeling. Sorry for the sarcasm. Why ever put yourself through that sooner and make your love "stale" for special people in the future.
Sorry I really shouldn't be talking about this. For me, love is a jaded subject that's tossed as if it was something unimportant whenever I give it.
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05-10-2003, 01:24 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-10-2003, 08:08 AM by GRITS.)
Love...I agree.... it can be an over used word...but it can also be one of the hardest words for a person to say.
I believe there are different levels and kinds of love. I think they all come with a sense of tenderness and devotion, but true love is something that will survive the tribulations and privation, that sees past the imperfections, that is given and received without any requisite qualifications. And it lasts....forever....and then some.
True love is experienced with a surge of electricity through your heart and through your soul. Electricity that physically warms your body from the inside, altering your normal involuntary reactions, your heartbeat changes when you udder the words 'I love you' to that special someone. Your breathing becomes erratic with their touch. Even the thought of the two of you together, intimately embracing can overwhelm your senses.
True love also exhibits in less intense ways. The comfort that you feel just being with that person. The way the thought of your love brings a smile to your lips and lightness to your heart. The delight that you experience when the one you love receives kudos for personal accomplishments. Yes PuNkGirL/Goddess there is "love". It does exists and my wish is that everyone will experience true love once in their life time.
I do believe in 'love at first sight' and I think you have to experience it to believe it can really happen. The person holds a compelling attractiveness that entices your mind to decipher the pleasure you feel in this persons presence. After you give in to this query you realize that it is not something that can be analyzed. It comes with unprecedented emotions that you find difficult to comprehend and ultimately you realize that it is love that has found it's way into your heart upon first glance. Not something you expected nor could explain at the time. Just a certain allure that you felt when you first saw them.
Ok exhibiting a little of my romanticism demeanor but it works for me.
PuNkGirL,May 10 2003, 02:43 AM Wrote:you know, i got to thinking. What is love? I mean seriously that word is flung around so much that love is really undefined. How does one know they are in love? Personally i never use the word unless i really mean it, but is that enough? People who have been going out with each other for years say they love each other but could break up in a couple of days. Where is the love there? does love even exist?
Another question, if love exists, then is there such a thing as love at first site?
p.s.: you know it figures that a debate like this would come from me, the self-proclaimed goddess of love and peace^_^ You know... on a website I regularly attend, we had something about this... probably not quite in the same fashion... for a read check it out here - I didn't post the original thread, but mine was the first reply so you don't have to hunt to see what I said :-D
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GRITS just brought up a thought... I think love may be associated with the sympathetic nervous system shooting off. For the non-psych people... that's the "fight or flight" thing your body does. Rapid heartbeat, pupil dilates, etc. If another person triggers that kind of feeling, just by being with them, it's possibly the sensation of love. Or you're just really nervous.
I also think love is different for each sex. What love at first site may be for a woman, for a guy it could just be he thinks the girl is hot and he gets a little bit "loving." That's another mark of love, when physical attractiveness is no longer a factor (that is, most people are attracted to eachother by looks at first, but that goes away eventually).
And I completely disagree with love being a choice. Sometimes it is, sure, you want to really be with someone and you are in love with the IDEA of being in love. But I think if you really love someone, it can just sort of happen. It's unavoidable, if you're with the greatest girl you've ever met, you cannot simply stop yourself from having the feeling of love.
Evan... you're in high school bro. I know plenty of people who make a big deal about this stuff in high school, and it's unnecessary. The people who break up and never stay friends... well, that's not weird... maybe they did hold feelings of love, maybe they didn't... but not being friends doesn't mean they didn't feel for each other, it just means it didn't work out. And afterwards, it feels really weird to hang out with them, sometimes the feelings come back, so you have to avoid eachother. None of it really matters in the long run, people will find someone else in or after college... there is still a lot of time left in life, and whatever happens in the teenage years can be left behind. So I can't stand it when these people in high school start acting as if their life is over... shit happens.
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i dunno...but i do know this:
what is love?...Baby don't hurt me...Don't hurt me...no more
:P
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lol asm you so beat me to that one... but my head is bobbing to the beat as I read it.... nice
I am gonna be that guy (with the advocate's hat on) to defend the rampant and overused use of the word love. While I have truly loved 3 times in my life, and I do not mean to undermine my feelings for these 3 ladies, I have to proclaim that I do love some things and people superficially:
I love Mountain Dew... even tho I am supposed to be dieting and soda is on my list, that perhaps makes me love it even more! I love Fear Factor and Saturday Night Live! These are the only shows I really ever watch and my love is sincere. I love a whole bunch of stupid games... chess, ping pong, bowling, magic, pool, cs (ok not so much) and yes ricochet. I love the White Sox and especially Frank Thomas. He will have another good year here soon. I love the Beastie Boys enough to associate them with my identity. I just saw them 2 weeks ago... was the SHIT! I love pizza and steak. I love twizzlers and 100 Grand bars. I love it when people assume I am something I am not and the look on their face when they see otherwise. I love knowing that someday I will find somone who will revise my feelings on love. I love it whenI win a match and Player says something like Beastie Haxors, and I loved it even more a couple of nights ago I got a shot off on Acid and he said.. wow. I love that he owned me for so long and now I beat him a lot. I love that as of today we are in a clan together. I love that we all share a love for a game comprised of only 1 good map. I love that I can ramble on and on about nothing at all and still some of you are right down here at the bottom of the paragraph with me 100%!
Bottom line is this.... I have no real love life right now as it sits, so I miss out on all the things you all wrote above. I have to grasp all of these other things and tell myself that hey... things aren't so bad, just have a good time! And that's what I do. I can assure you if I find a woman that gives me everything I miss about love from my past, you will probably see a lot less of me in the servers! That is of course she is or later becomes a ricochet fan :P
Hmmm... maybe I will meet my next love playing this silly game... :wub: <_< any of you ricochet ladies wanna visit Vegas any time soon? lol ( oh yea... I love living in Vegas!)
Beastie ( I love you all)
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I think this is a real open-ended topic, but I'll give my input. I think its just the strongest, most powerful emotion in the world and that once you find it you're set for life. If you love someone truely you are content with everything else, whether its bad or good, you just dont care as much because you're so happy...Love's tricky. I don't like it. Infatuation is a different stroy entirely. I think most people experiece that...:heartbeat:
*-=][_=-*
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Wow ][_imit not sure what else to say. :)
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Love without morality is mute, your love will only hurt the other.
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Yeah yeah Jabba. We all know why YOU love. :blink: Yes, that's right. Hot....succulent.....juicy.....FOOD! :P
(To the Reader) : Yeah, you know your heart started racing. ;) Tooorrtuuure, doo dee doo dee doo.
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Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lover's eyes.
Being vexed, a sea nourished with lovers' tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
From Romeo and Juliet ^_^
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06-20-2003, 12:50 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-20-2003, 12:51 PM by Chentvin.)
Love is a gift
You can't refuse,
It's the most precious
You can expect.
Love is like a flower,
Slowly, it causes to bloom.
It's a softness state
Which make life so beautiful.
Love is a frame of mind,
Full of uniques moments
Which fill your life
With magicals instants.
Love is the most wonderful favour
That your existence can bring you.
It's a great sweetness
In this violent world.
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I'm feeling a little electricity now that you mention it.:wub:
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09-24-2003, 05:54 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-24-2003, 09:10 AM by GRITS.)
What does love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to
a group of 4 to 8 year-olds.
The answers they got were broader and deeper than
anyone could have imagined.
* When my grandmother got arthritis, she
couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So
my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when
his hands got arthritis too. That's love.
Rebecca - age 8
* When someone loves you, the way they say
your name is different. You know that your name is
safe in their mouth.
Billy - age 4
* Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a
boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell
each other.
Karl - age 5
* Love is when you go out to eat and give
somebody most of your French Fries without making them
give you any of theirs.
Chrissy - age 6
* Love is what makes you smile when you're
tired.
Terri - age 4
* Love is when my Mommy makes coffee for my
Daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to
make sure the taste is OK.
Danny - age 7
* Love is when you kiss all the time. Then
when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be
together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are
like that. They look gross when they kiss.
Emily - age 8
* Love is what's in the room with you at
Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.
Bobby - age 7
* If you want to learn to love better, you
should start with a friend who you hate.
Nikka - age 6
* Love is when you tell a guy you like his
shirt, then he wears it everyday.
Noelle - age 7
* Love is like a little old woman and a little
old man who are still friends even after they know
each other so well.
Tommy - age 6
* During my piano recital, I was on a stage
and scared. I looked at all the people watching me and
saw my Daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one
doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.
Cindy - age 8
* My Mommy loves me more than anybody. You
don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.
Clare - Age 6
* Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best
piece of chicken.
Elaine - age 6
* Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and
sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert
Redford.
Chris - age 7
* Love is when your puppy licks your face even
after you left him alone all day.
Mary Ann - age 4
* I know my older sister loves me because she
gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy
new ones.
Lauren - age 4
* I let my big sister pick on me because my
Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me. So
I pick on my baby sister because I love her.
Bethany - age 4
* When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up
and down and little stars come out of you.
Karen - age 7
* Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet
and she doesn't think it's gross.
Mark - age 6
* You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless
you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a
lot. People forget.
Jessica - age 8
Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a
contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the
contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was a four-year-old child whose next-door
neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently
lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy
went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his
lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him
what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry."
There are a lot of things love is, and a lot of things love isn't... too many times in the modern age, people mix lust with lust...
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love is not having to ask for that new harddrive.
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hah, i guess my parents dont love me then B)
love is putting up with steam:)
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no that's tolerance, I don't believe in tolerance anymore
Nah, if it was tolerance, you would've shot it by now ;-0
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Is love at first sight required for true love?
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Not at all FreeFall, true love is when you love someone for what she is inside, you can't know what's inside ppl when you see one for the first time (expect if you are a surgeon:blink:), you have to discover it.
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Wouldn't it technically be called lust then? If it just disipates it can't be real.
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usually it's lust but sometimes you see a beautiful woman and you just can't get your mind off her, and the blunt notion of sex isn't all that prominent, yet is more subtle and romantic. it's something else but i don't find this to be a necessarily good indicator of potential chemistry. usually, the woman then fails to rise up to the grand ideals you had imagined her living up to. chentvin is right...true love transcends the surface. you can work side by side with a girl for months or years and then later find out that she is indeed "the one" and looking elsewhere doesn't even seem to be a remote consideration.
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The problem with defining love is there are no adjectives to describe feelings. Only poets ever try to describe love, and they go for baroque so people will give them money. Nobody wants to hear "love is <accurate description>", they just want some chanel no. 7 smelling pile of bs so they can go "awwww... that's so true/heartwarming/romantic/*giggle*" and never actually have to think for themselves.
Cichlids (a type, possibly order or class, of fish) have life-long mates. Once a female and male are together, they stay together. Same thing happens with those fish as with people: a non-sexual attraction. Why is it so strong between people, and not between a person and other things? Most likely the coupling with sexual attraction and the other social pi bond, friendship.
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or maybe it's just a biological thing. The opposite sex gives off pheramones..and while you can't necissarily smell them, they register in your brain adn when the perfect one is found it clicks and send s a signal to the rest of your body. Without this bio-chemistry humans would never reproduce and we would all die out sad and alone.
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