what is love

I'm autistic and am used to trying to puzzle out what is apparently normal human stuff. Love is important and complicated, I figured that out by myself, thank you very much.

I don't know where to start. You've heard of 'love at first sight', but you know that is stupid. Lust at first sight maybe. But then again we love to lust, right?

Familiarity breeds contempt I've heard, and that from a culture that tries to enforce monogamy on us! From teenage hot love to octogenarians married forever, from spaghetti to sunsets, wtf is love.

Baby...

*head nod*

Originally posted by @apathist
I'm autistic and am used to trying to puzzle out what is apparently normal human stuff. Love is important and complicated, I figured that out by myself, thank you very much.

I don't know where to start. You've heard of 'love at first sight', but you know that is stupid. Lust at first sight maybe. But then again we love to lust, right?

Familiarity br ...[text shortened]... From teenage hot love to octogenarians married forever, from spaghetti to sunsets, wtf is love.

https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/07/20/love-is-a-choice-more-than-a-feeling/

Originally posted by @apathist
I'm autistic and am used to trying to puzzle out what is apparently normal human stuff. Love is important and complicated, I figured that out by myself, thank you very much.

I don't know where to start. You've heard of 'love at first sight', but you know that is stupid. Lust at first sight maybe. But then again we love to lust, right?

Familiarity br ...[text shortened]... From teenage hot love to octogenarians married forever, from spaghetti to sunsets, wtf is love.

Direct experience. Deep loving kindness, compassion; appreciative joy; no clinging; no lust; no confusion; no neediness; no fear; no ego grasping. Love is strengthened through practice.

Under those circumstances, when your love is directed to a person: Would you die for the one you love? Would the one you love die for you? If positive, your bond is strong;
And, when your love is boundless, then what? To love under optimal conditions is not love; how easy to “love your neighbor” and to “turn the other cheek” in the abstract –and what a challenge to do so herenow when you deal with the real thing. Once you cultivate a genuine expression of boundless love day in day out, you follow the path to your liberation;


The above is just a fishnet; once you catch the fish, discard it
😵

Apathist, in reply to your PM, here are some further musings of mine on the subject of "Love - What Is It?"

I hope this will my initial post more understandable.

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me
No more
What is love?
Yeah

I don't know why you're not fair
I give you my love, but you don't care
So what is right and what is wrong?
Gimme a sign

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Oh, I don't know, what can I do?
What else can I say, it's up to you
I know we're one, just me and you
I can't go on

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

What is love?
What is love?
What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more
Don't hurt me
Don't hurt me

I want no other, no other lover
This is our life, our time
We are together I need you forever
Is it love?

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Yeah, yeah, (woah-woah-woah, oh, oh)
(Woah-woah-woah, oh, oh)

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more
What is love?

Originally posted by @dj2becker
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/07/20/love-is-a-choice-more-than-a-feeling/

It's an interesting 2 minute read. However, its title is quite misleading. It's called "Love is a Choice More than a Feeling". It probably should have been called something like "Relationships Need Commitment and Work".

Originally posted by @fmf
It's an interesting 2 minute read. However, its title is quite misleading. It's called "Love is a Choice More than a Feeling". It probably should have been called something like "Relationships Need Commitment and Work".

Relationships that are built upon love yeah?

Originally posted by @great-king-rat
Apathist, in reply to your PM, here are some further musings of mine on the subject of "Love - What Is It?"

I hope this will my initial post more understandable.

What is love?
Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me
No more
What is love?
Yeah

I don't know why you're not fair
I give you my love, bu ...[text shortened]... n't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more

Baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me
No more
What is love?

(Head bobbing sideways repeatedly)

Wanna dance, wanna dance, wanna dance?

Originally posted by @apathist
I'm autistic and am used to trying to puzzle out what is apparently normal human stuff. Love is important and complicated, I figured that out by myself, thank you very much.

I don't know where to start. You've heard of 'love at first sight', but you know that is stupid. Lust at first sight maybe. But then again we love to lust, right?

Familiarity br ...[text shortened]... From teenage hot love to octogenarians married forever, from spaghetti to sunsets, wtf is love.

As I've said, the English language does a piss poor job trying to define what love is. The Greeks did a much better job.

Definitions of Greeks Words for Love:

Agapeo: Unconditional love; the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation
Phileo: Love between friends
Eros: The sense of being in love; romantic love
Storge: Love of family; Parent/child, siblings, cousins, etc. In a very close family, agape is felt as well.

Originally posted by @whodey
As I've said, the English language does a piss poor job trying to define what love is. The Greeks did a much better job.

Definitions of Greeks Words for Love:

Agapeo: Unconditional love; the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation
Phileo: Love between friends
Eros: The sense of being in love; romantic love
Storge: Love of family; Parent/child, siblings, cousins, etc. In a very close family, agape is felt as well.

The atheist cannot understand agape because they conflate it with eros.

Originally posted by @whodey
As I've said, the English language does a piss poor job trying to define what love is. The Greeks did a much better job.

Definitions of Greeks Words for Love:

Agapeo: Unconditional love; the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation
Phileo: Love between friends
Eros: The sense of being in love; romantic love
Storge: Love of family; Parent/child, siblings, cousins, etc. In a very close family, agape is felt as well.

These definitions of "love" all use the word "love" to define "love" :/

Talk about a "piss poor job".

Originally posted by @whodey
As I've said, the English language does a piss poor job trying to define what love is. The Greeks did a much better job.

Definitions of Greeks Words for Love:

Agapeo: Unconditional love; the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation
Phileo: Love between friends
Eros: The sense of being in love; romantic love
Storge: Love of family; Parent/child, siblings, cousins, etc. In a very close family, agape is felt as well.

I want to keep it simple assuming you merely ended up a bit stranded whilst struggling to cope with Greek (my apologies apathist, I know the thread derails from your OP).
Here you go whodey -my translation of the expert I submit ref. 1a, 1b and 2a. Source link: http://www.greek-language.gr/greekLang/modern_greek/tools/lexica/triantafyllides/search.html?lq=%CE%B1%CE%B3%CE%AC%CF%80%CE%B7&dq=

agápi i [agápi]: 1a.state of a natural feel where the person feels friendship, affection, sympathy, tenderness, devotion. 1b. erotic feeling. 2a. (theol.) agápi for G-d and our fellowman.

That being said, as regards 2.a, the Orthodox approach is the following: Paul feels agapi deep down (Gal. 2:20) and he comments so in B’ Cor. 13:11 –this feeling is also mentioned at A’ John 4:8– on a basis that extends from one’s love for G-d to Jesus’ love for all the humanity, and from there enters the concrete knowledge of G-d’s love “en Christo” (in Christ), evident at Rom. 5:5, 5:8 and 8:39.

Now what, whodey?

😵

Originally posted by @dj2becker
The atheist cannot understand agape because they conflate it with eros.

Seriously?
😵

Originally posted by @black-beetle
Seriously?
😵

It makes it easier for him to sleep at night if he tells himself that.