Love can be defined in so many ways. It is known as a strong positive emotion of regard and affection, an object of warm affection or devotion, a great liking for or even a score of zero in tennis, “40 love.” Many people see love as just a four letter word, an exaggeration and a strong infatuation.
Other than love between two people affectionately, love can be between family members, humans and pets, materials and gods.
But back to affectionate love, it can be defined in 101 ways. There’s love through infidelity, conspiracy, self-esteem, loneliness and true feelings. Tested in so many ways, all results differ from each other.
From the Hilton Hotel and the WorldTradeCenter, students, faculty and staff expresses love in several different ways.
Andrea Boll, professor of English said she experienced love through more than just romance. “There are so many ways to love someone or be in love,” said Boll, “Someone can love you but not possess you and you can learn something new about it every time.”
Good love is seen as actual love. When two people see each other through appreciation and loyalty, love is lingering among them. Love is in the air when two people can take it in their heart to accept someone for who he or she is. Sometimes it’s true and most of the time it’s deeper than anything and shines above everything.
Taking hints from other relationships, many students view love through what they observe in their surroundings. Others take notice of love from television and music. Dominque Devezin, a junior economics and finance major from Slidell, LA, gets her inspiration from the academy award winning movie, “Moulin Rouge.”
”I truly believe in and live by the quote ‘the greatest you’ll ever learn in just to love and be loved in return’,” said Devezin.
Infatuation can either hurt someone or make people keep looking. It is seen as love but not actually. It could simply be a want in the event of loneliness and act like a solution to low self esteem. Infatuation is just plain foolish passion.
“I was a victim of infatuation through money and girls,” said James Nettles, a freshman business management major from New Orleans. “I saw it as a must-have, but I was really confused.”
A lot of relationships tend to end because one person can not feel the spark as much as the other. Or it can simply be a form of using another person for their time.
The word love is spelled lust backwards. It’s really spelled “evol” but according to Webster’s dictionary, lust a very strong craving or desire. People tend to fall in love with desire more than the significant other. It can be seen as infatuation but the wrong way. Lust can serve someone’s appetite when he or she put love on hold.
De’Nesha Murchison, a sophomore early childhood education major from Stockton, Calif. said she has experienced love from many angles and has dealt with phases of lust. Murchison said that lust can only last in someone’s mind temporarily but if love is really love, it can last forever.
Often, one has to go through lust and infatuation to get to love. Other times it can really be love at first sight. Romance could be only in the people who open their doors to it.
Sarah Watkins, a sophomore education major from Bloomington, Ill. said, “I don’t think that I’m truly ready for love. With it becoming a more and more deeper feeling, I’m too selfish to be in love or even understand it right now.”
Who really knows what love is? It differs from relationship to relationship. It can hurt someone, help someone and enlighten someone. It exists in everyone’s heart whether its for material things, people, animals or gods. No matter how strong this feeling is expressed, there is not one right definition.
