What is Love...?

What is love
Oh baby, don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more
Oh, baby don't hurt me
Don't hurt me no more

And yes, I know that is the opening verse to the song "What is Love?" by Haddaway.


But seriously, what is "love"? And where to begin...?
Is it a series of chemical imbalances in your brain? Or is it an actual bond, an emotion?

It seems that love is a flame of passion: two kinds of passion, actually.

One burns like "the intensity of a thousand white-hot suns", the kind that dies out within 1-2 years. This is the kind that many, if not most, adolescents probably suffer from. Its feelings are mainly due to a physical attraction, maybe a few similarities to bond together with. It doesn't get much deeper than that...

The second passion is like a clear, bright flame. It burns steadily, and never flickers. Its the kind that senior citizens have, when they're married for 20+ years, spending the rest of their golden years together. The "love" that you get with your "soulmate", if there is such a thing.

Uhmm so yeah. You clearly don't want the first kind. The second kind seems deeper, like it transcends your soul. A profound sense of being you get when you are with that certain person. Am I saying that there really is such a thing as love? Scientifically speaking, ALL emotion is caused due to chemical imbalances, so no. Anger? Testosterone. Fear? Adrenaline. But not everything can be explained with scientific fact. Conclusively, I do think love is like a fire. It flares up when you see that special someone, if you nurture it, it grows; if you neglect it, it dies out.

Now why am I talking about this? Mainly because I'm in high school, where I see people showing their infatuation physically towards one another. But also because society itself talks about it so much. At least 90% of all songs probably have something to do with love, relationships, etc. It's even on the news all the time. THIS JUST IN! (Insert Famous Celebrity here) just broke up with (insert another Famous Celebrity)!!

And what about brotherly love? The kind you share with friends, family, compadres? Is that different too? Is there a different flame for it? Or is it not a flame altogether, but something else?

In conclusion, can you really say "I love you" when you might not even know what it is?