by Amy Huang

Created on: April 24, 2008   Last Updated: March 17, 2012

Love is a diverse word with numerous meanings and associations. What is love? It is mostly described as a feeling towards a special someone, a life partner. However, one can also love their family and their friends, and in this context, love means totally different things.

Love for a lover is the most commonly spoken yet complicated form. Biologically, when we are in love, the chemicals cause our bodies to have certain reaction. We start to feel dizzy, light headed and weak. Our hearts pump hard and fast and we have a sexual urge to physically be with someone, to touch them to feel them. However unlike Lust, love also has a mental effect to the body. Our thoughts stay with the person we love, we continuously want to satisfy them, to care for them and to do things for them. We start to make plans with them, and see a future with them. Love is an emotion not to be trifled with, a strong, yet delicate feeling that can either mend or break a heart. An unspoken attraction. This is the sort of love that can conquer all.

Then, there is the love we feel for our family and our friends. Sometimes even strangers. This type of love is bred more out of obligation than attraction and have no physical desire involved. It is a humanity love, the love that makes us care and worry and everything in between, a love that keeps a family together, no matter what turmoil we may have gone through. This is also part of the unconditional love parents feel toward their children, and the drive behind bringing them up no matter how long it took and how much it takes. The love that urge them to send their children to the best school possible, to wake up in godly hours to feed them and then to risk their lives teaching these youngsters how to drive and then worry about them when they stay out past mid-night.

Love, in its purest form, can do amazing things. It can change a person, and it can change the world. In religious terms, the love of Jesus saved us all. In humanity terms, the love of a foster family can change a troubled child's life. Love is all around us, but with only some of us willing to show it while others are afraid to open their heart to love. Perhaps if we all open our eyes and see the love that surrounds each of us, rather than the hate and difference between us, the world would be a better place.

All we have to do is remember to love.

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