Love
Love is freedom, kindness, peace, choice.
Love is giving and receiving.
Love is forgiving, understanding, even when you don’t understand, love is letting go, letting go of retaliation, letting go of needing to prove yourself or someone else right or wrong, love is allowance, growth and resonance.
But for many, when they say “I love you, I love my friends, I love my dad/mum”, they’re not really using the same definition. For them “love” is responsibility, duty and/or fear.
Love as Responsibility
“I love you” means; I feel responsible for your happiness, safety and/or security. I feel that you need me to survive and/or thrive
Love as Duty
“I love you” means; I feel guilt, obligation, duty to be here, to take care of you, to be in this relationship
Love as Fear
“I love you” means; I am afraid of being alone, I am afraid of what will happen if I leave you, or you leave me. I am afraid of who I am, or who I will be, without you, I am afraid of being abandoned, and I am afraid of what you might say, or do, to or about me if I’m not here, in this relationship, in this family or group of friends.
I believe love is freedom, and I believe one should never be in a relationship that is called love if they’re in it for responsibility, duty and/or fear – of course, many have relationships that are based around these things sometimes, but let’s be honest and not call them love.