That “L” Word

• The following isn't directed at anybody, or anything, I just want my word back...

Something wrong with today's society... I don't feel like the word "love" has the same meaning it used to.

I just feel it's over used... It's in advertisements, telling people they'll "love" the new flavour or whatever; it's in music, telling us all how some singer "loved" someone but it all went to shit; it's on television, in some soppy soap opera; and we say it to each other, even when we don't really mean it at all.

Truth is, you can never truly "love" somebody until you actually know them fully. "Love at first sight" would be much better defined as "lust at first sight," because how do you instantly know, simply by looking at somebody, that they aren't a tosser or whatever... That's the thing, we say we "love" something, but truth is we just lust it until we get bored of it, then it simply becomes something we just like.

Situations:

• There's a new product (i.e. Coke Zero is released) and we try it and say to each other "Oh I simply LOVE the taste." – Truth is we merely like the taste, it's a nice change. Two weeks later you'll be sick of it and you'll go back to regular Coke.
• You meet someone new, and two weeks later you tell your best friend in private "Oh I think I'm in love with that guy, he's just so nice." – Yup, he's nice. Everyone is nice to the new people. If you ask him (or her, trying to be gender unspecific here, but failing) out you'll probably find a month later that he isn't your type at all, that you share nothing in common. You never "loved" him, not even if you said "I love you," you only ever lusted him, and when you found out he was boring/opinionated/rude/smelly/bad at sex or whatever you didn't even like him anymore.

I try whenever I can, to only use the word "love" when I absolutely mean it. When I'm writing something (a text message for example), I actually pause and think before writing the word "love." I ask myself, "Do I mean it? Do I honestly truthfully love?" Only when the answer is yes do I put it in.

I'm asking politely for the world to pause and think. Do you honestly mean that you "love" that person? Or are you just saying it because they said it to you?

Having trouble deciding whether you "love" somebody, "lust" somebody, "care for" somebody, "like" somebody or "like more than the other option?" Ask yourself, "If I was with this person, and we'd done everything together, and there was nothing new left to do or try, if we had seen everything and been everywhere, could I honestly say that the 'spark' would still be there between us, would I still want that person over any other, would this person be irreplaceable to me?"

If you find yourself saying "No, I don't think that 'spark' would still be there," then I suggest you find a new word to use, and leave "love" for those who mean it. There's no word greater than "love;" and today, as well as every other day, I wish there was, so I could use it...

Also, got sent a picture last night from someone I can honestly say I love:

Disiplined and ordered, Izzy's having fun, but missing home. She'll be back Easter time to see the important people :P

Happy Valentines Day for those who love somebody!