Is love finite?

[RosevilleCAguy]

If not, why do many people seem to treat it as if it were so?

 

[Laurel]

Because hormones are very powerful drugs.

 

[BigDawg69]

Because hormones are very powerful drugs.

No real need to respond now . . . perfect answer Laurel.

 

[Nora]

Because many people couple the notion of "love" with other emotions such as jealousy or fidelity.

 

[takingchances42]

Because to love is to expose yourself to pain... if you love the wrong person.

 

[bluemuse]

I think that people confuse lust, infatuation, etc., with love. Lust and infatuation are fleeting. Love endures.......

 

[Lost Cause]

Love.....

As already expressed, love is defined individually. Love can be described as dependency on something to make your life exciting or complete(hormones/adrenaline/fix). I've experienced the euphoria of love, and lived and breathed just to be with that female. I also have the love for my Parents and Brothers and kin. I have the love for my friends and fellow Americans. I know love for my country and founding principles, and their execution in everyday life. Of course, there's the eternal love for my 1953 Harley-Davidson Panhead!

*See sig line.

 

[Sillyman]

Because to love is to expose yourself to pain... if you love the wrong person.

That is true. No one wants to love an asshole by mistake.

 

[Laurel]

People use the word love when they shouldn't, IMHO. I have. (There needs to be a word to describe the tenderness you feel for someone you don't know well, but could love if given the opportunity.) Love is earned. Love comes after much intimacy and tenderness. You can't truly love someone without knowing them really really well.

Love isn't exciting, love isn't pulse-racing. That's what lust is, what romance is. Lust is less discriminate. You can lust or have romantic feelings for someone you know nothing about.

Love is different. Love is VERY discriminate. Love is what happens when you know a person totally, in every way, all their wrinkles and flaws and ugliness and bad habits, but enjoy and appreciate them anyhow. It's indescribable. It's a place, not an emotion, really.

Babble babble babble. This is all my opinion. Your results may vary. You can tell my definition is wrong, but I'm sticking to it.

 

[bluemuse]

People use the word love when they shouldn't, IMHO. I have. (There needs to be a word to describe the tenderness you feel for someone you don't know well, but could love if given the opportunity.) Love is earned. Love comes after much intimacy and tenderness. You can't truly love someone without knowing them really really well.

Love isn't exciting, love isn't pulse-racing. That's what lust is, what romance is. Lust is less discriminate. You can lust or have romantic feelings for someone you know nothing about.

Love is different. Love is VERY discriminate. Love is what happens when you know a person totally, in every way, all their wrinkles and flaws and ugliness and bad habits, but enjoy and appreciate them anyhow. It's indescribable. It's a place, not an emotion, really.

Babble babble babble. This is all my opinion. Your results may vary. You can tell my definition is wrong, but I'm sticking to it.

Darlin.....this deserves a standing ovation.

 

[RosevilleCAguy]

People use the word love when they shouldn't, IMHO. I have. (There needs to be a word to describe the tenderness you feel for someone you don't know well, but could love if given the opportunity.) Love is earned. Love comes after much intimacy and tenderness. You can't truly love someone without knowing them really really well.

Love isn't exciting, love isn't pulse-racing. That's what lust is, what romance is. Lust is less discriminate. You can lust or have romantic feelings for someone you know nothing about.

Love is different. Love is VERY discriminate. Love is what happens when you know a person totally, in every way, all their wrinkles and flaws and ugliness and bad habits, but enjoy and appreciate them anyhow. It's indescribable. It's a place, not an emotion, really.

Babble babble babble. This is all my opinion. Your results may vary. You can tell my definition is wrong, but I'm sticking to it.

I think we have a definitive answer here. If anybody wants to, they now have permission to hijack this thread.

 

[Trail48]

Because many people couple the notion of "love" with other emotions such as jealousy or fidelity.

Nora, I don't believe either love or fidelity are emotions...I see those as decision items, not affected (hopefully) by emotion

 

[christcat69]

if you were to love me for example

Because to love is to expose yourself to pain... if you love the wrong person.

So true that is...but is pain not included with all love? What about the pain of your love leaving you to go to work? The pain of talking to folks on the internet at 5am instead of the one you love? The pain of witnessing their pain and heartaches? I think pain can either come in small or large doses... depending on how deep your love runs.

 

[juicylips]

Love bites.
jl

 

[Hamletmaschine]

"Charity means love.
It is called Agape in the New Testament
to distinguish it from Eros (sexual love),
Storge (family affection) and Philia (friendship).
So there are 4 kinds of love, all good in their proper place,
but Agape is the best because it is the kind God has for us
and is good in all circumstance."
Letters of C.S. Lewis

As Lewis's remark indicates, the Greeks had different words for "love," which suggests that they recognized at least 4 different types of love. In English, it can get confusing because we only have the one word to cover so many different experiences that many people legitimately associate with love.

Recent research has indicated that when people talk about love, they can be talking about as many as 9 different things. No wonder people get confused and frustrated!

Here's a link that offers a good summary/overview:

Types of love

 

[Trail48]

"Charity means love.
It is called Agape in the New Testament
to distinguish it from Eros (sexual love),
Storge (family affection) and Philia (friendship).
So there are 4 kinds of love, all good in their proper place,
but Agape is the best because it is the kind God has for us
and is good in all circumstance."
Letters of C.S. Lewis

As Lewis's remark indicates, the Greeks had different words for "love," which suggests that they recognized at least 4 different types of love. In English, it can get confusing because we only have the one word to cover so many different experiences that many people legitimately associate with love.

Recent research has indicated that when people talk about love, they can be talking about as many as 9 different things. No wonder people get confused and frustrated!

Here's a link that offers a good summary/overview:

Types of love

nice....Thank You

 

[weed]

If not, why do many people seem to treat it as if it were so?

Yes, it can be finite. Unconditional love is a wonderful notion that really rarely exists, not for long anyway.

If love didn't have some limitations infidelity, abuse, and dishonesty wouldn't matter. If love didn't have limitations than it would always withstand the forces of change that affect people as they experience life. If love didn't have limitations then divorce wouldn't be common.

That said love can be unconditional and infinite....as long as those limitations we cannot help but place in order to protect our hearts from pain and injury are not breached. When those limitations are not placed we lose a bit of ourselves. Sometimes more than a bit.

hah...contradictory, eh. So is love.

 

[sexy-girl]

i agree with mostly what everyone has been saying ... love is an often abused word but real love is something you can't believe in or understand until it knocks you on the chin and turns your world upside down

real love does indeed endure but it also needs to be topped up constantly

 

[takingchances42]

Re: if you were to love me for example

So true that is...but is pain not included with all love? What about the pain of your love leaving you to go to work? The pain of talking to folks on the internet at 5am instead of the one you love? The pain of witnessing their pain and heartaches? I think pain can either come in small or large doses... depending on how deep your love runs.

Being in love is well worth the pains that go with it. In my response to Roseville I meant something different. When it comes to romantic love -- no, it should not be given freely, at every opportunity. The reason being that if you are with the wrong person, you can end up getting hurt badly when it ends. As it usually does... though I am still looking forward to the next time, and hope that one does not end...

 

[bluemuse]

"Charity means love.
It is called Agape in the New Testament
to distinguish it from Eros (sexual love),
Storge (family affection) and Philia (friendship).
So there are 4 kinds of love, all good in their proper place,
but Agape is the best because it is the kind God has for us
and is good in all circumstance."
Letters of C.S. Lewis

As Lewis's remark indicates, the Greeks had different words for "love," which suggests that they recognized at least 4 different types of love. In English, it can get confusing because we only have the one word to cover so many different experiences that many people legitimately associate with love.

Recent research has indicated that when people talk about love, they can be talking about as many as 9 different things. No wonder people get confused and frustrated!

Here's a link that offers a good summary/overview:

Types of love

Smart people, those Greeks. Thanks Ham.

 

[Hamletmaschine]

Smart people, those Greeks. Thanks Ham.

Yeah, and they invented butt-loving, too, didn't they? I don't know what their word for that was. Lewis forgot to mention that one.

 

[sunstruck]

Yeah, and they invented butt-loving, too, didn't they? I don't know what their word for that was. Lewis forgot to mention that one.

They also came up with the idea of a balenced life being more important than a pure one. Good and evil, love and war, lust and disgust, all had a place in the lives of the Greeks. Makes more sense to me.

Is love finite? If you mean eternal, some is, some isn't. If you mean unchanging, no I don't think so.

 

[bluemuse]

Yeah, and they invented butt-loving, too, didn't they? I don't know what their word for that was. Lewis forgot to mention that one.

LOL........like I said.....smart people.

yeah...what was C.S. Lewis thinking??? lol

 

[RosevilleCAguy]

Quit picking on C.S. Lewis

Even smart people have bad days when they forget the Ancient Greek term for butt love.

I liked the Narnia stories. Except maybe the last one. Everybody dies. Its depressing. Especially the poor dwarves stuck in the room eating horse poop.

 

[fanzee1]

People use the word love when they shouldn't, IMHO. I have. (There needs to be a word to describe the tenderness you feel for someone you don't know well, but could love if given the opportunity.) Love is earned. Love comes after much intimacy and tenderness. You can't truly love someone without knowing them really really well.

Love isn't exciting, love isn't pulse-racing. That's what lust is, what romance is. Lust is less discriminate. You can lust or have romantic feelings for someone you know nothing about.

Love is different. Love is VERY discriminate. Love is what happens when you know a person totally, in every way, all their wrinkles and flaws and ugliness and bad habits, but enjoy and appreciate them anyhow. It's indescribable. It's a place, not an emotion, really.

Babble babble babble. This is all my opinion. Your results may vary. You can tell my definition is wrong, but I'm sticking to it.

the greeks had different words that all translate at love in our language. Agape is the one you hear most often today, i think, since somebody latched onto it. so maybe they were on the right track because we certainly have a problem w/confusion where it comes to love. I know I have.