Complicated huh?

L-O-V-E

A tiny lil' four letter word that is supposed to be able in the English language be capable of summing up love. Love? Take a look at the tags for this hub and you get the meaning. Its no wonder people either shy away from using the word at all or use it for everything (wherein it totally loses any meaning when someone says "oh! I just LOVE Pizza!")

Is love a feeling you get that passes like gas? No, that's more like lust. No - that IS lust. lol

Is love an emotion; also a passing thing as emotions come and go. No, that's more like a really great one night stand or a short fling - hot and heavy but it wears out.

Is love a decision? A practical thing well thought out and decided on. As in the writing of a textbook. The facts don't usually change too much over time; unless there is some giant revelation.

Is love a heart lifting-heart crushing up and down yo-yo? No, that sounds more like a rollercoaster ride at a theme park.

NO? and yes....it's complicated!

Some other words people will use who don't WANT to say the four letter word - for fear of how the other person will take it (with good reason!).

I am getting the *feeling* writing about this that this word means something that must LAST, continue, go on - and even if it changes over time, it's still *there*

Some (NOUNS) synonyms for the word Love:

Emotion?

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admire ( not love)

adore ( worship - may pass)

affection (display of wanting)

caress ( more display of wanting)

cherish ( sounds lasting to me)

courtship ( I'm NOT getting the cream so I NEED to buy the cow)

devotion (sounds very lasting)

enamored ( smitten, maybe could last)

endearment (sounds like how I felt about my grannie)

fancy ( cutesy )

idolize ( NOT good)

reverence ( sounds like church)

amorous ( booty!)

egocentric ( unclear on that one)

erotic ( lust but also could lead to something lasting)

infatuated ( puppy-love)

kindly (grannie again)

narcistic (It's ALL about ME - Paris Hilton love- SHALLOW)

painstaking (this is a definite laster)

smitten (maybe lust, maybe not - maybe a laster)

unrequited (no strings here - definite laster)

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Verbs - I'll keep it short: - Verbs are *feeling* words in this case:

To feel deeply devoted love for.

To worship

To adore.

To like or enjoy enthusiastically, often excessively. (smile)

To dote on. (I like doting)

To delight in. (More smiling)

Text-book Love:

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The condition of being closely tied to another by affection or faith.

(That kindof sounds like a disease.)

A loyalty or devotion based on what are believed to be facts.

(Yuck.)

adherence

allegiance

bond

constancy

devotion

faithfulness

fidelity

honor

piety

steadfastness

(I'm not even going to comment on those - except to say that there MUST be some sort of consistancy to/in love. The rest sound near religious to me.

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So what do you peeps think?

I love my brother/not like my mate

Parents love their kids/not like they love each other (or they better not!)

Students love a teacher/that may be enamor or idolize - not good

People love their pets (I think that is weird - affection I understand)

Do you really love your new fur coat? Your new car? To me that is:

narcistic (It's ALL about ME - Paris Hilton love- SHALLOW)

????????????????????????

My uncle used to always say "You CAN'T love a *THING*; you can only love people."

(Like he'd say that when we would say "Oh, I love that cartoon! with joyful glee and he'd just shut us right down with that statement and then we'd feel all shallow and fall silent...)

He was probably right (unless talking about his wife whom he DEFINITELY didn't love!) or any of the above definitions....but really, we were too young to understand his pain. He eased that into an early grave at the bottom of a martini glass....