Defining Love in Today's World - Article Example

Outline Introduction - Language is considered to be the first language of human beings. - Love is not always understood, but is one of the easiest to convey. History of love - There is no definitive beginning to love. - The existence of love is based on experience and on individuals. - Love is copious in its existence. Romantic love - Between a couple - Dating or marriage - Marriage is a physical representation of romantic love - This kind of love consists of all the little things that draw the couple together. - Teenagers and children claim to be romantically in love with others. - They may not fully understand love, but they have their own version of it. Love is not always romantic. Love within a family - Love is unconditional and based on being related - Love between parents and siblings is shown through being taken care of, respect, and support. Love between friends - Similar to the love within a family - This love is chosen - Friends feel that their love is the most important kind of love Love is not limited to human beings - Love can be for pets - This love consists of trust and companionship - Favorite actors, movies, music, et cetera - This love is based on respect, admiration, and appreciation for the art and entertainment that are supplied for fans. Conclusion - Love comes in many forms, all based on individual people - Everyone is capable of understanding and displaying love. - People continue to find more ways to love. Defining Love Emotion is often considered to be the first language of human beings (Lewis & Lannon 13). Before they could converse with one another, humans reacted with expression and feeling. If an injury would cause them pain, they reacted to it; if a child’s laughter touched them, they would express it through emotion. Some emotions may not have been properly understood by those early human beings. Even now, many cultures may have different views on how these emotions should be expressed or what they mean. Love is no exception to this. Love comes in many forms, and therefore has many meanings, which can make it difficult for humans to fully understand. Despite this, it is one of the easiest emotions to display. There is no definitive beginning to the various meanings of love; in the attempt to “chart the ‘arc of love’ is that, like time, this is a subject resistant to analysis, because its existence is predicated on experience (Vickers 1).” People define love in their own terms and based on their own experiences, though most people can relate to the majority of these meanings. The history of love can only really be traced based on each individual and the love that they have felt for someone or something. This is one of the many characteristics of love that makes it a great and precious emotion - it is copious in its existence and it is steeped in everyone’s personal and unique history. Love is most thought of as the emotion felt between a couple in a serious and romantic relationship, whether they are married or are dating. In this case, love encompasses all the little aspects that keep the couple together. The smiles that are shared that are full of little secrets and that can convey thousands of messages without ever speaking; the experiences and memories that they have from the day they started dating to the present; even all of the little fights and hardships that they went through to get to where they are provide evidence of love. The fact that they are in love is what enables them to get through hard times. This love can be increased from dating to marriage. Marriage in itself is a physical representation of romantic love between a couple. It is also a way that a couple can share and display their love to friends, family, and to the public. Teenagers and children claim to romantically love their significant other or their playground sweetheart. Adults have the habit of telling these younger, less experienced people that what they feel cannot possibly be love. However, even though adults claim that it is not love that they may feel, teenagers and children are still capable of having their own feelings of romantic love. They have their own version of what love should be, a version that they are capable of understanding and displaying. It could be hand-holding or shy kisses on the cheek, or sharing one’s crayons or snack during recess. No matter how young a human being is, they are still human, and they still have the ability to express love for someone. Love does not always have to be romantic. Parents feel love for their children, their own parents and other relatives, and children feel love towards their siblings. This love is considered to be unconditional, in which the family members do not need a reason to love one another. They love each other based on just being related. I love my parents simply because they are my parents. They have taken care of me and supported me through life, and this is their way of showing their love for me. I show my love for them by being grateful and respectful. When I have children, I will have the same unconditional love for them. It will be displayed to them much as my parents have displayed it to me. They will also love their siblings in the same way. Even if they fight, they know that they will always have the support of each other. The love between friends is similar to love between members of a family. This kind of love is supportive and attentive; many friends, such as best friends, feel that their love is more important than even the love between a romantic couple. This love is thought to be unconditional, though many friends suffer from fights that separate them or time that pulls them apart. This love is strengthened when friends are able to beat the change of time. When friends love each other, they look to each other as their second family or, as the saying goes, as God’s way of apologizing for one’s blood family. The love that friends have for one another is by choice, which makes it powerful and special. I do not love my best friend the same way that I love a significant other or my parents, but my love for them is still strong and consists of support, concern, and hopes of their success and well-being. Love is not limited to human beings. Many people feel love for an animal or a pet. A dog or a cat might be just an animal to a stranger, but to the owners they are extensions of family. This love is based on companionship, trust, and dependency. Pets love their owners when they are taken care of. They trust the person that feeds them and tends to them. Owners love their pets for the companionship that they get as a result of taking care of their pet. Similar to human family members, when a pet is well taken care of, the love that exists becomes unconditional. Love is also a fondness, one that can be felt for a favorite actor, a favorite movie, a music artist, or a song that has special meaning. This love, while still a form of love, differs greatly from love felt between people or towards a pet. It is a love based on affection and familiarity. Johnny Depp is an actor who is loved by many people, but they do not love him as they love a parent, a friend, or even a pet. However, a certain love is still there, usually in the forms of respect and admiration. Fans of music, television, and movies, as well as other art mediums, are appreciative of the people who work to give them art and entertainment. It may not necessarily be romantic or unconditional love, but love is love. Love comes in numerous forms and is expressed by many people in their own unique way. Regardless of one’s age or experience in life, everyone is capable of understanding and displaying love. Even a newborn infant can feel immediate love for their mother, simply by being born to that person. Love does not have to be taught, and it does not always have to be fully grasped by the person receiving it. Most people just know that they are loved by the actions of the other person, like the support or care that they provide. Love is a strong, amazing, and sometimes frightening emotion, and people continue to find more ways to use it. Works Cited Lewis, Thomas, and Richard Lannon. A General Theory of Love. New York: Random House, 2000. Print. Vickers, Salley. "All About Love: Anatomy of an Unruly Emotion." The Observer [London] 23 Apr. 2011: n. pag. Health, Mind, and Body. Web. 25 Oct. 2011. Read More