#ifc

What is Love? : Information Finding Championship (@ifc) S02R09 Entry

This is my entry for the Information Finding Championship Season 02 Round 09 (run by @ifc and @apolymask) with the topic of "LOVE"!

What is Love?

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Perhaps the most common thought that pops into one's head when the word "Love" is mentioned is the concept of Romantic Love. The thrill of love at first sight, the idealised notion that has been popularised by books and movies since the Elizabethan Age (as a side note, that period of Western history has a lot to answer for....).

It is the love that we are most familiar with as young adults and teenagers. The searching for that one person who is the complete fit in all things, that completes your very being... perhaps similar to the best friend or the soulmate, perhaps slightly different? The idea that compels us to do stupid things, which takes up our every thought and waking hour.

Perhaps it manifests itself in the puppy love of figures of authority, or perhaps in the unrequited secret love from a distance. Maybe it is the close friendship that blossoms into something that is much more.... with more at stake and more to lose, yet with so much more to take pleasure from!

Other Loves?

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As we grow through life... we start to discover other forms of love, some abstract.... and others destructive. It could be the love of a material thing, a favourite car or belonging that is irrationally prized beyond its ability to return the affection... or the love of progress of some numbers in some ledger somewhere to brings meaning to some lives, and a perception of societal validation.

It could be the love of an animal or a pet, who is in some way able to return the love and affection... but will be forever hampered (well, some might disagree strongly with this...) by the ability to communicate and be an equal partner.

It might be the love that a parent has for a child, the sort of commitment that leads one to sacrifice parts of your own vision and time to help realise the meaning of another life. The sort of love that leads one to spend countless years sleeping on hard floors, calming tears and helping to realise dreams. However strong this love, it is still one that has an implicit heirarchy and one that will be forever separated in time... forever out of phase as one is destined to finish before the other.

My Thoughts on Love

So... after all of this rambling... what are my thoughts on what love is? Love is the thought that there will always be someone who is your companion on the unknown journey through life, the one who provides safety and contentment, knowing that they somehow, unbelievably, they accept your faults along with any positives that might otherwise be invisible to you. It is the bond with the person who helps you become the best person that you can be, who you will do anything for...

... it is the idea that at the end of a long day of work and travelling, after they have had their own personal long day of life, that there is someone who remembered you long enough to welcome you home with a much appreciated meal, left warming in the oven!

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Comments · 29

@steem-ua(64)· 2706d
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@thesteemengine(65)· 2707d
Congratulations! This post has been chosen as one of the daily Whistle Stops for The STEEM Engine!

You can see your post's place along the track here: The Daily Whistle Stops, Issue 449 (04/05/19)
@robmojo(66)· 2708d
Love is everywhere and love is universal. Let's spread the love and make the world a lovely place to live in.

Love this post. Full of love and just what we need in the world right now💖💖💖

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@d00k13(76)· 2708d
Many other languages have multiple different words for each varietion of love ❤️
@apolymask(71)· 2708d

Perhaps the most common thought that pops into one's head when the word "Love" is mentioned is the concept of Romantic Love. The thrill of love at first sight, the idealised notion that has been popularised by books and movies since the Elizabethan Age

Agreed. I feel like that has been the case or a major theme in my life as well. Though as I've aged more I realize that love is very broad and I am even open minded to the spiritual belief that "everything" is love in a sense, or at least that it has it's roots in love.

with more at stake and more to lose, yet with so much more to take pleasure from!

Hmm.. Yeah I think maybe there's something to that. However.. Then the love of a child I think might even be more powerful cause it seems like from what I've heard losing a child is the most difficult?

As we grow through life... we start to discover other forms of love, some abstract.... and others destructive. It could be the love of a material thing, a favourite car or belonging that is irrationally prized beyond its ability to return the affection... or the love of progress of some numbers in some ledger somewhere to brings meaning to some lives, and a perception of societal validation.

Indeed.. There's many kinds of love! Some which seem a bit counter intuitive as well.. Like people who love pain and love being controlled or abused.. BDSM for example, some of that is really interesting to think about.. Not sure I understand it but I did meet a woman who was into that kind of stuff once and she was a super intelligent person so it was really fascinating to talk to her and to try to get into the philosophy and understanding of such kinds of things..

It might be the love that a parent has for a child, the sort of commitment that leads one to sacrifice parts of your own vision and time to help realise the meaning of another life. The sort of love that leads one to spend countless years sleeping on hard floors, calming tears and helping to realise dreams. However strong this love, it is still one that has an implicit heirarchy and one that will be forever separated in time... forever out of phase as one is destined to finish before the other.

That's pretty deep.. And I hope to experience that kind of love some day to the point I sacrifice so much for someone with no expectation of anything in return in such manner. Though just to be a little nitpicky and find the exception to the rule, sometimes parents and children do go at the same time, in like car accidents or plane crashes or things like that.

So... after all of this rambling... what are my thoughts on what love is? Love is the thought that there will always be someone who is your companion on the unknown journey through life, the one who provides safety and contentment, knowing that they somehow, unbelievably, they accept your faults along with any positives that might otherwise be invisible to you. It is the bond with the person who helps you become the best person that you can be, who you will do anything for...

Well said. :) I was just talking about this with someone recently I forget who.. But I think it's that quality of accepting someone as they are, flaws and all and still being there for them regardless which I think is one of the most powerful things in life and that is "true" love in my opinion.

Great entry as usual my friend. :) Was very inspiring and gave me some things to think about. I "loved" it. <3
@jayna(75)· 2708d
Love is so many things! I really liked how you closed this post:

it is the idea that at the end of a long day of work and travelling, after they have had their own personal long day of life, that there is someone who remembered you long enough to welcome you home with a much appreciated meal, left warming in the oven!

That is truly beautiful. Thank you for the lovely reflections on love!
@tryskele(65)· 2708d
Very nice @bengy. I really enjoy this subject, because it is neat to see and hear others opinions. My personal thoughts are there are so many aspects to love each has its own beauty and meaning.
@quillfire(62)· 2708d
@bengy,

Interesting that Love seems to get simpler as one gets older while everything else seems to get more complex. :-)

Very well written article, Bengy.

A thought: In your article you mentioned:

... someone who is your companion on the unknown journey through life, the one who provides safety and contentment, knowing that they somehow, unbelievably, they accept your faults along with any positives that might otherwise be invisible to you. It is the bond with the person who helps you become the best person that you can be, who you will do anything for...

A mutual indebtedness that both intuitively understand can never be fully repaid. Indebtedness, and reciprocity, is a potent drive amongst human beings:

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code, In the days to come, though my lips were dumb in my heart how I cursed that load!

From The Cremation of Sam McGee, Robert Service https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/cremation-sam-mcgee

Quill
@porters(73)· 2708d
Ah! How heart warming!
@foxyspirit(65)· 2709d
You are bang on with your explanation and variations. I can't say more to what you have written here and what has been written in your comments. I would just be repeating. Great post!
@blockurator(65)· 2709d
I thought you going to go on a rendition of The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis. If you haven't read that, it's one of the best books on love I've ever read. He talks about the four Greek words for love and discusses how they play out in our lives. I highly recommend it.
@jenina619(74)· 2709d
Love it😁💞 #powerhousecreatives

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@lizablove(50)· 2709d
Lovely post @bengy My favorite subject ♥ I love love!!! When we truly discover love within us, we see it everywhere. The trick is sticking with that feeling of love inside... ;-)
@mattifer(58)· 2709d
This makes me think of the musings from Moulin Rouge (one of the best movies of all time) when they quote a whole bunch of lyrics on what love is. Fun post!

#powerhousecreatives
@wonderwop(67)· 2709d
I love this. 💕

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@kaerpediem(73)· 2709d
Just the simple things <33
@papilloncharity(83)· 2709d
We are supposed to be beings of love and my favorite is to believe in the unseen. For it's love that is returned! You certainly have a great post here my friend! Blessings!
@ocdb(77)· 2709d
You got a 12.78% upvote from @ocdb courtesy of @bengy! :)

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@traciyork(75)· 2709d
...it is the idea that at the end of a long day of work and travelling, after they have had their own personal long day of life, that there is someone who remembered you long enough to welcome you home with a much appreciated meal, left warming in the oven!
Exactly! I completely agree, and...
via GIPHY
@thekitchenfairy(77)· 2709d
baby dont hurt me, dont hurt me, no more

(yeah i started singing just as i read the title)

#powerhousecreatives
@steemflow(80)· 2709d
When you started feeling to be one then that is love....

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@tipu(68)· 2709d
🎁 Hi @bengy! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @dswigle!
@dswigle wrote lately about: Market Friday Goes To The Kite Festival Feel free to follow @dswigle if you like it :)
Sending tips with @tipU - how to guide :)
@dswigle(78)· 2709d
Love is all around... all you have to do is look. The smile of a stranger leaves me loving the world we live in, the unhurried mom, taking the time to explain to her child, the love of a child - as she holds the hand of an ailing parent...

Oh, yes...

Love is all around, and sometimes, oh, so fleeting.

!tip
@julianhorack(76)· 2709d
Big subject for such a small word, so many levels and interpretations to "love". It depends on your realizations.
@brittandjosie(76)· 2709d
Love is All you need dear ohh and good music 😉💃
@joanstewart(75)· 2709d
Love the word with so many connotations.

To live is to know love, love thyself, love crypto we use the word so freely, perhaps it is a good question What is love!
@nickyhavey(74)· 2709d
When I first saw the blog title, I immediately thought of "Haddaway - What Is Love" :)

Great post and well written - would like to add that love doesn't all have to be external. If you learn to love yourself and trust that it will all be OK, then that can also be very comforting and freeing. But you can't beat the feeling you described at the end there :)
@wales(68)· 2709d
I've been through all the loves and the one that endures is the one that never ends
@steemitbloggers(69)· 2709d
Congratulations @bengy! This post was selected by the Power House Creatives as today's Rally Upvote Post :)

You can find the community announcement on Discord :) and it has also been shared on our FB Page and Twitter feed.

Comments · 29

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