What is Love?

“Love one another and you will be happy.  It’s as simple and as difficult as that.”

-Michael Leunig

The meaning of love, like all concepts, is a subjective one. From my perspective, “love” describes a quality of relationship imbued with great meaning, affinity and care. This relationship can be to another living being, to oneself, or to a particular experience.

Sometimes subtle, other times strong, love comes in many shapes and sizes. There’s the love based on familial bonds, such as that between a mother and child, or brother and sister. There’s the intoxicating love of romance that involves physical attraction and sexual desire. There’s the love of loyal friendship that carries a strong sense of connection and mutuality. And, there’s also the type of love that invokes pleasure or meaning, such as devotion to one’s work or spiritual practice.

While not an exhaustive list, this post reflects on some of love’s correlates that I find most interesting, outlined below (select one of the links to read that section):

1.) Coffee: what’s love got to do with it?
2.) Unconditional Love (my favorite!)
3.) Self Love (vs. self-importance)
4.) Curiosity and Love
5.) Generosity from Love
6.) Simple Expressions of Love
7.) Caring Love
8.) Romantic Love
9.) Long-Term Love

Next Section: Coffee: what’s love got to do with it?