Define "love". | INFJ Forum

Define "love".

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faridsimpson

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May 3, 2013
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Its really interesting to see the different answers that different people come up with..

Let me start:

"Love is an unknown form of energy, which no person could ever successfully control"
 
When you say "define", and expect a bunch of weird personal answers, it makes me cringe. I'd rather you ask "how do you love?"

I find this such a cliche question that's always abused. Not only that, I find the typical answers akin to stereotyping. For example: Q) What are black people? A) Fried chicken.

NO
 
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o_q said:
When you say "define", and expect a bunch of weird personal answers, it makes me cringe. I'd rather you ask "how do you love?"
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But i find these so called "weird" answers to be interesting don't you? How do you love for me is a subject not worthy of discussion. Or am I wrong?
 
Hope I can answer this many times...?
 
Now I feel something...
 
Love for me, is being willing to sacrifice for the sake of another. And not only when you FEEL like it, or it benefits you.

I DON'T mean being willing to sacrifice your morals and ethics, or your own health, and for no good reason, being a doormat, letting people abuse you, etc.

I mean keeping commitments, even when it's difficult to do so. (Marriage, raising kids, etc.)

I mean being willing to sacrifice immediate gratification, time, effort, energy, material things, and even your life, if necessary(if the situation calls for it), for the sake of another. Even when there is no immediate, tangible reward.

I like this passage of Scripture:

John 15:13

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
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This was exemplified by Christ on the cross. Laying down one's life for the sake of others, people who can NEVER repay, and even when they don't deserve it.

Altruism. "Agape Love".

Blessing those who curse you.

I believe this is the highest, outward expression of love.
 
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Love is the act of the will (the whole will, including but not limited to conscious aspects thereof) orienting itself towards the good of its object.

It is a far too common a mistake to confuse true love with mere attraction or attachment. Although such strong emotions may very often attend it, love is not itself an emotion at all. It can persist even at times when all emotional reactions to the beloved are negative.

Love impels one to action, the nature of which of course depends on what the good of the beloved is perceived to be. Although love does not indulge in facilitating any self destructive desires the beloved may possess, it is not loving to dismiss the beloved's own will when determining what is in the beloved's interests.

wonkavision said:
Love for me, is being willing to sacrifice for the sake of another. And not only when you FEEL like it, or it benefits you.

I DON'T mean being willing to sacrifice your morals and ethics, or your own health, and for no good reason, being a doormat, letting people abuse you, etc.

I mean keeping commitments, even when it's difficult to do so. (Marriage, raising kids, etc.)

I mean being willing to sacrifice immediate gratification, time, effort, energy, material things, and even your life, if necessary(if the situation calls for it), for the sake of another. Even when there is no immediate, tangible reward.

I like this passage of Scripture:

John 15:13



This was exemplified by Christ on the cross. Laying down one's life for the sake of others, people who can NEVER repay, and even when they don't deserve it.

Altruism. "Agape Love".

Blessing those who curse you.

I believe this is the highest, outward expression of love.
Click to expand...

Although all English translations of John 15:13 that I have seen (even Young's Literal Translation) use the word "life," that does not really convey the full meaning. The Greek word is ψυχὴν, which is were we get the word "psyche." The root means "breath" or "breath of life," but it was commonly used to mean "soul" or "everything that defines who you are."

Jesus was not merely talking about being willing to die for someone (although that may certainly be involved in extreme situations) but also being willing to sacrifice anything about ourselves while we are still alive. (Of course, any sacrifice that does not actually have a chance of serving the good towards which it is directed is simply a waste. That should not really count as "for his friends" at all.)


It should also be noted that too much is often made of the distinctions between the different words for love in Greek. The bible often uses Phileo when one would expect Agape, and vice versa. It uses Phileo when describing the love between God The Father's and Jesus. It uses Agape when talking about apostates who love the sinful pleasures of the world enough to abandon God. Apage can even overlap with Eros; apparently the very first time that Agape is used in the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament which is what all fo the writers of the new testament read) is in the context of a brother raping his sister.

Modern scholars of Ancient Greek tend to think that Agape and Phileo are essentially synonyms, both primarily describing the kind of love that is felt for family members (or friends who are as close as family). In some cases though, Phileo may imply that the lover and the beloved are of similar status. Phileo might thus not apply to relationships like those between parents and a child who is too young to take care of himself, whereas Agape would still apply.
 
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^^ That is one of the most romantic things I have ever read, and it even has greek in it... wow. I'm not even being sarcastic at all!
 
1) Love is the thread that holds humanity together.
 
What about the Greek "eros"?
 
With love, there's a feeling of concern for the other person that cares about their wellbeing, not just what they can give or do for you. I also see it as an impulse. It's almost as if you can't help but feel the way you do. That has to be there or else loving will simply be just a verb that sounds more like an obligation than a want for the other person. It takes a genuine interest in the person, who they are, and let's them be who they are, but also wants the best for them while inspiring them to be the best person they can be for you and themselves.
 
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niffer ;3

<3333
 
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just me said:
What about the Greek "eros"?
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Oh, he's all right, too but he's just a mischievous little boy who shoots you in the arse with arrows and causes all sorts of problems. :)

Also, we need the greek letters, which I don't know.

And I haven't even the faintest idea why someone gave me a thumbs down for liking Magister's post, but, oh well whatever.

edit -- Probably it was because they don't like Christians, and Magister is a Christian, therefore, liking his post is somehow a bad thing. Don't care, still found it romantic.

ORRR maybe they're just jealous they can't speak greek and talk like a walking encyclopedia.
 
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Maybe the computer did it.
 
love cannot be defined. it is so much more than any definition or example of its meaning.
 
It doesn't deserve to be defined.... because even all the words and languages in the world could not describe it's depth. It's indescribable. It.. just... is.
 
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