The word “love” is used so frequently these days that it has lost its meaning. People use the word without any hesitation. Love is a powerful word; it can mean the love of a parent for a child, a friend for a colleague, an army officer for a conscript, and so on. Love encompasses a wide range of positive and negative emotional and physical states, from the utmost sublime ideal or religious belief, to the easiest basic physical pleasure, to the darkest personal secret fears. It is a term open to interpretation by the individual.
The level of intensity in which lovers feel their love varies widely. Some people are infatuated with another person; they cannot leave the one they adore because they would feel guilty if they were to desert their partner, while others crave the intimacy of their bed. Still others experience the love as an overpowering presence – as if the one they love is really present in the world. In this respect, all lovers will say that their love is divine. To a degree this is true.
The nature of this divine love means that it is not controlled by any one person, and there is no need for communication between lovers in order to maintain the sacred status of the relationship. Expressions of love are widespread, and can take many forms. The most common one is the eulogy, delivered by a relative or close friend. This is the essence of a healthy relationship. The eulogy is often written in the first person, and describes the deceased’s achievements, sense of humour and personality.
Another type of romantic love is friendship. Here, we feel close and safe with another person who shares our common interests and loves us back. Often, such a relationship is based on mutual affection and similar hobbies and beliefs. A friend shares his/her happy experiences with you, while you share your sad ones with him/her.
Some other forms of affection are more overtly sexual. In this respect, there is nothing wrong with being in love. As long as it is carried out in a positive way – that is, with an intention to create and nurture another person’s happiness, rather than creating misery for yourself. In fact, one of the more important things to remember when considering falling in love with another person is that love in itself is only positive emotion – if you are hurt by loving another person, then you have fallen into unhealthy habits, and can never again enjoy genuine affection. Such behaviour will invariably result in relationships lacking intimacy and ultimately leading to broken hearts.
To fall in love with someone can feel like heaven or hell, depending on how you feel to yourself at different times. If you feel like you belong to something bigger and deeper than yourself, then you will always feel like you’re falling in love – whether it’s with a boyfriend or a girlfriend. And if you feel like you belong to yourself but also to another person who will love you unconditionally regardless of what you do or don’t do, then you may actually find that romantic love is deeper than any other type.