Okay, I know I'm pretty late on this post, but that's okay. I had to respond.
Love does exist. The thing is, there are a lot of misconceptions about it... Or at least that's what I think. SOme of the posters have been going in the right direction, but others are confusing love with another, different feeling -- that of "Falling in love."
"Falling in love" with a person is not the same thing as loving someone. After all, who "falls in love" with their mother or father? "Falling in love" is what causes most problems in relationships -- it is the initial feeling of happiness when you are around a person.... The desire to hold their hand, to kiss them, just to be with them or talk to them, ALL THE TIME! These feelings are usually some of the strongest feelings a person has ever felt.... The strongest ones yet, anyway. So people commonly mistake this as "love."
This is where a lot of problems arise. You give the facts of life that there are so many divorces, broken homes, and broken relationships. So many people wondering when the flame stopped burning. Well, in MOST (but not all) relationships, this physical attraction fades. As we begin to know our partner's body, we get bored. The hormones fade as we age.
So then love doesn't exist, you say? I'll say you're wrong if you do, because love does exist. Our society doesn't glamorize it very much though. Beauty magazines and boy bands and MTV give us more images of sex in our typical day than there are Pokemon on the Game Boy. Love is commonly forgotten, because we imitate what we see. Everybody in the media is so cool, so pretty.... We focus on external beauty, rather than what is within.
How many times have you said to yourself something along the lines of, "If I could just go on one date with ______...." and they were a famous singer or model? Possibly quite a few.
We need to focus on internal beauty. Couples break up so often because they don't know how to talk to one another. Communication is often limited to smalltalk and "talking" with certain body parts. Then when they're bored with the s ex life, they fight.... They realize there was nothing there..... They break up.
Love is a complete acceptance of another individual. It is understanding that sometimes you will disagree, but in the end, you'll still have a relationship with them. Love is ALL-GIVING. In love, we completely sacrifice ourselves. I'm not talking bodily, and I'm not talking about handing over a paycheck every week. I'm talking about the inner depths of our souls. In love, you are never embarrassed. Why? Well, because you know that this person won't judge you on something so small. In love, we are completely open. Forgiveness isn't even thought of -- It is assumed.
In love, we think of others over ourselves. This does not mean that we hate ourselves and do not respect our own being. To love another, one must already love him/herself. If we don't know who we are, we can't share it. And thus, love ceases to exist. We have to know that buying the latest fragrence or wearing the nices makeup aren't what make us better people. Good deeds are. Saying "Thank you" does.
Basically, love isn't based on holding hands.
Love is when we hold hearts.
