To Love or To Be In Love

Many people don't realize it but there is a fine line between loving someone and being in love with someone. First let's look at the word "Love." The word "Love", by defintion, is a strong form of affection towards another person. The word "Love" is used quite a bit in today's society, such as when a person in a store sees a pair of shoes they like, they will more than likely say that they loves these shoes. In all reality, you can't love a pair of shoes, or any object really, but you can like it, perhaps quite a bit, but it is not love. Love is one of the purest emotions among living beings. It is passionate, consuming, the emotional equivalent to fire.

Fire is alive, it burns brightly and uses oxygen and carbon based items to fuel itself. Love, like fire, burns in our hearts, though we may not realize it, and it uses living creatures to survive. We, as human beings, are products of the physical expression of love.

But I digress, the difference between loving someone and being in love with them is this; loving a person is a common thing, but being in love with someone is very special. This is not to say that loving a person is any less special, but that it is more common. You love your family, friends, and pets because you feel great affection towards them, but you may not be in love with them. Being "in love" with a person means that you feel more than great affection towards them, you feel completed by them, as if a piece of you was missing and has now been found. I realize that this sounds cliched but there is no other way to describe something so indescribable. Being in love is something very special, something that all people, whether they know it or not, want to experience. It is the purest and highest level of Love.

I sincerly hope that this made sense to you, as it is hard to convey thoughts on love.

Affectionately yours,

jesse0324 (Patrick Phelan)