“I love you” and “You know you love me” are a few sentences heard on a daily basis. But what do they mean now? In today’s society, the words that use to mean something are now thrown around. Words like ‘hate’ and ‘love’ mean the same today as the words ‘like’ and ‘dislike’. I was raised with the knowledge that words were power. When someone throws the word ‘love’ in the middle of a sentence it no longer holds the meaning it once had.
Love
A word that used to mean intense feelings of want or need towards a person now means the same as like. Love used to be an emotion felt towards a person; this emotion gave a feeling of intense need and want of that particular person. It was as though you could not live without them. That you would give your life in order to let them live. There are three kinds of love. The love you feel towards family. This type of love fills you with gratitude. It is the feeling that allows you to remember the good times when you move away. You can live without the person you love in this way, but if something happens to them, it will hurt. Then you have the love you give to friends. If you are lucky, you will have at least one person who you think of as a brother or sister. You share this love with them. This type of love is not given to every friend you have. This is the love truly felt towards certain people. Lastly, you have the greatest love of all. You feel that emotion towards your life partner. This emotion goes so deep that if someone truly felt it most times it will hurt. This is possibly the greatest emotion anyone can feel, yet it is also the hardest one to live with. If you love someone in this way, you will not be able to live without him/her no matter what. Therefore, when someone throws the word love around like it is a hacky sack it decreases the meaning of this beautiful word.
Like
When someone uses the word love, he/she usually means to say like. They have decreased the meaning of a powerful word into one that has varying levels of meaning. The word ‘like’ is a simple form of enjoyment. When using the word like a person can be saying anything from, “I can handle being around you” to “You are a close friend.” The word like is powerful in its own way. It has a meaning that is easy to comprehend. This simple word can describe a fondness towards any object. So why not use ‘like’ when you are trying to inform someone you enjoy being around them?
Dislike
Another simple word that has varying degrees of meaning is dislike. This word can mean anything from an annoyance towards a person to not wanting to be around someone. This word is the extreme opposite of like yet not really the opposite of love. This word is not as extreme as ‘hate’ but it comes close to that line. When people dislike something, they show disfavor towards a person or thing. They do not want the person to die; they wish it would not bother them. For example, I dislike South Park. I do not wish it would stop playing I just do not want to watch it.
Hate
Another word heard quite often is ‘hate’. “I hate her/him” or “I hate so and so” are a few sentences heard in today’s everyday talk. When you hate something or someone, you wish that object would disappear or you wish that person would die. As my mom puts it, “If you hate someone you wouldn’t pee on them is they were on fire.” This statement might be a little harsh but it is true.
So what am I trying to say? Stop being careless with words that have meanings far beyond what you think.
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The problem is words don't actually mean anything, they are just metaphors, symbols of what we actually mean. No one words accurately describes our emotions perfectly. Because of this, words like "love" and "hate" are overused, because "dislike" and "like" just aren't powerful enough, but "love" and "hate" are too powerful. In Greek, they are 3 different words for our one word "love" and I think that is amazing. The three different words each mean a different type of love, romantic love, love of humanity/friend, and love of a family member. Why can't English be like that?
"Even after all this time, the Sun never says to the Earth 'you owe me!' Look what happens with a love like that, it lights up the whole sky."
-Hafiz
I agree with you 110%. I know lets start using the latin/greek words for love and watch people's face. Maybe they will catch on and the language will spreed. Do you know the words?
very well thought out. i loved your thoughts and i agree, even though I tell my boyfriend I love him. I do but who knows, maybe someone else would think I dont. But shame on them. haha i dunno
There is a difference between truly meaning what you say and saying it just to say it. If you really love your boyfriend then you and him are the only ones who need to know. All you have to remember is actions speak louder then words. Thanks for the compliment and comment.
There is a reason why some individuals use the words so loosely, it is because they do not understand the words, moreso they have never experienced the emotion. The definitions that you describe for LOVE for example, is even more complex than that and a person who has never experienced it will just take that and run with it. Love is the greatest...it doesn't brag or boast....it is patient and kind....the greatest is love!
I understand the meaning of love. Love is so great one cannot even get close to discribing it. I merely wrote down the closest discribtion I could get to. Thank you for your thoughts.