Love Cant Be Simply Put :: essays research papers

The famous Benjamin Franklin once said, "If you would be loved, love and be lovable." But what is love, it can be defined by the Webster's dictionary as a "profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person." Even with that just being said countless poets, philosophers, and authors have fallen short of truly capturing the full meaning of love. The reason could lie in the differences of love and its ability to change throughout our lives. When a baby is born and placed into the hands of loving parents, the love that the baby is able to get is vital in the development of it. The love or lack of love starts to change you from the beginning of your life and continues throughout adulthood. The young baby needs the love and wants the attention. It needs to be protected and cared for. Undoubtedly there is a major love for a baby and the love of the baby for the mother. Interestingly some people say that they love chocolate, basketball, sex, and even cars. But that doesn't fall into the Webster's definition of being "profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person." Also it doesn't agree with Benjamin Franklin's, "If you would be loved, love and be lovable." As everyone knows the game of basketball is not a person and it can't love you back. So why would someone say that they love those things? I know from my own experiences that I have a passionate affection for playing the game and I feel a joy in playing it. Continuing to blur the meaning of love with it's diversity in the relationships we have for people and objects. For instance, I love my mom, dad, brothers, dog, sports, and many more. During certain periods of my life the love will certainly rise or fade. Also the intensity of that love is not the same in all those relationships. For I have never been in love with a girl, I may only imagine what it might be like to be in love. Guessing from my friends relationships with other girls it seems like a big headache instead of wonderful bliss like some poets maybe would like to put it. When Benjamin Franklin said, "If you would be loved, love and be lovable," he must have meant that love goes both ways. That not only is it important to love but also important in how it is received.