How do you define love?

Everybody has felt it at one time or another, be it for a person, pet, or even a non-living object. That feeling is love. Love is felt in different intensities; it may consume your whole being, or perhaps it’s just a little crush. Some people search for what seem their whole lifetimes for love, whereas others may seem to fall in and out of love on a regular basis.

Of course, here we are talking about people. We can love many things, but the love between two people is unique and special. Love is rarely defined because everyone experiences it differently. What one person thinks is love, another may think is infatuation or vice versa. How does one know he or she is in love? How is it possible to distinguish between the love of romance and the love shared between friends?

In order to understand love, we need to first understand the two major types of love: romantic love and friendship love. People often define romantic love based on its difference from friendship love. Would you kiss your friend? Perhaps, but it is not necessarily the things you do with your romantic partner that makes your love romantic.

Romantic love is often confused with infatuation because it is so all consuming. Romantic lovers are usually on each other’s minds. A person may make decisions based on his or her romantic partner, such as whether or not to move to a different province for a job and leave his or her partner behind. People make large life decisions based on their romantic partners because they can’t imagine life without those people. Romantic love guides a person’s mind and can sometimes cloud it as to what the right decision may be. After all, romantic love can be extremely selfless.

The famous playwright, William Shakespeare, one of the greatest advocates for romantic love, alludes to romantic love as being like drunkenness in his play The Tempest. Like too much alcohol or happy drugs, romantic love takes over all senses in a person, and somewhat changes his or her outlook. A person in love romantically is often said to have a “perma-smile” and is difficult to make unhappy. It is no wonder that most people seek out romantic love, rather than be content with the simple love shared between friends.

Now, how do you define love personally?
What does it take to express love to others?