Love is a feeling of closeness, attraction, affection and loyalty. It is an essential human drive and can be experienced in many ways, from the most sublime virtue or good habit to the simplest pleasure. In modern times, it is often used in a more general sense to describe a positive attachment to something or someone, with no specific emotional content or goal. Some researchers suggest that love is more of a state than an emotion, and that the feelings of love are distinct from lust or affection.
There are different types of love — romantic, familial, platonic, unrequited and more. Each has its own challenges and rewards, but one of the most important is self-love. Self-love is an active process of acknowledging, accepting and nurturing our inner selves. It is the foundation of a healthy relationship and a life full of happiness and joy.
Whether we want to believe it or not, love is everywhere. It’s in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and the people around us. It’s also in our bodies and minds, a biological, physical and psychological phenomenon that we are born with and can never really leave behind.
It isn’t easy to find love in the world around us, but it’s there. Embrace it, seek it out and find a way to express it, even if it’s just through your smile. There are no rules or regulations when it comes to finding and feeling love, but you do need a willing heart and an open mind.
We’ve come a long way in our understanding of what love is, from pinning down exactly what happens in the brain when we fall madly in love to discovering how to keep that love alive. But it’s important to remember that love is also constantly evolving. There are going to be days or weeks – or maybe even longer – when you don’t feel all mushy-gushy in love, and that’s completely normal.
Then, if you can hang in there, the next day or week may bring back that giant wave of loving you, where your heart feels like it’s about to burst. And then the day after that, you’ll be able to look at them and know that what you have is worth fighting for.
In the Hindu tradition, love is described as kama, karuna, prema and bhakti. Kama is the love of things and beings; karuna is compassion and mercy for others; and prema is devotional love to the divine.
The bhakti form of love is the most spiritual and the hardest to practice. It is the love that makes us want to do good deeds, sacrifice and help those who need it. During that process, we experience the whole range of emotions, including anger, frustration and boredom. But we know it’s a worthwhile effort because of how happy it makes you.
