Love is an obscure word. It can be full of so much emotion or be tossed around without much of a connotation at all. Loving a TV show elicits a very different kind of feeling than loving your parents. So, why are we using the same word to explain both sensations?
This perplexing question has always bothered me because I feel like a heavily loaded word such as love shouldn’t be taken lightly. I love my parents, grandparents, brother and best friends unconditionally; thus, it is appropriate to express it. However, my love for tacos does not mirror the same senses I feel when loving my friends and family.
Do you really love your pet goldfish, or do you just appreciate its existence? Do you really love Ryan Gosling, or are you just infatuated with his boyish good looks and charismatic personality?
If you imagine someone who is simply upset and someone who is infuriated, you get two totally different pictures; love should be regarded in the same fashion.
The repetitiveness of the word love for situations that don’t deserve its utterance has resulted in a culture that is numb to its powerful undertone. For Valentine’s Day, I suggest using other words to describe how you feel about your significant other.
Saying “I love you” is easy. Digging deeper to what that truly means is something special. Next time you feel the urge to tell someone that you love him or her, stop, and think about why you do. Removing that word from your vocabulary will truly work wonders for the meaningful relationships in your life.
