“A Single Word” by Kyler A.

Love. A single word with a variety of meanings behind it. This concept, feeling, or whatever you want to identify it as is difficult to measure and understand as humans. All we know is that we feel it, right?

 

This intangible thing that a lot of us, including myself, desire to feel is extremely ambitious to grasp our minds around. According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, love is an intense feeling of affection, interest, and pleasure. Read that sentence again, and it's clear for many to establish that it sounds relatively simplistic. An emotion that makes us feel safe, wanted, or even agitated and overwhelmed. That surface-level understanding is what we as humans can mostly perceive and share towards others when we are asked “what is love”, but I attempt to dive deep into this strong emotion.

 

We all know that people such as our family show and give us their love, including our parents, siblings, cousins, and many more. Some of us have even experienced love in a romantic setting, where we care for one’s well-being in order to better the intimate and friendly bond created between one another. However, as cliche as it sounds, love is complicated. Whether we address love in a platonic or romantic way, it will always be perceived differently by every individual as we all have different experiences that establish our individual definition of what love ultimately is. Additionally, love between anyone within our lives is simply just shown in a multitude of different ways. I like to relate this speculation particularly with the way in which we understand subjects differently in school. Whether the cause is the teacher or the student due to the situations that they are in or have experienced before, our understanding of the concepts being taught is influenced by a vast amount of incidents and responses. In essence, we learn things differently compared to other students, the same way in which we interpret the meaning or feelings regarding love.

 

Likewise, I believe that there is and never will be a genuine step-by-step guide on how to show someone or something our intense passion and energy towards them. Sure, advice can be given to situations like gift-giving or other languages that technically show love, but nothing regarding love is ultimately explicit. Personally, a romantic relationship that began over three years ago has solidified my insight towards the efforts one must adhere to in order to portray their emotional and physical attachment. Sacrifices, concern, and compliance are one of many actions that a person must admit to in order to present love, but this struggle results in a successful and valuable perspective that cannot be described until one reaches that point.

 

As I said, love will never be explicit. It’s something that simultaneously keeps our minds going, as well as breaking our dreams apart. Life will always contain the fight for love, so next time you hear the words “I love you” from anyone significant within your life, always recall the deeper intentions and significance behind that single word.