Think of the word love. What comes to mind? Hearts and flowers, hugs and kisses, passion, the bedroom. But there can also be anger, jealousy, rage, and murder, or tragedy as in the case of the world renowned Romeo and Juliet.
But there are other ways of seeing love. For one, there is the inherent meaning, the primary ideal: I wish you, the other, high regard and good—the Platonic view. This use of the term is the essence of how love plays out when free of codependence, eroticism, and romance. This love is unconditional to the extent that it can be. Humans may like to think they can go unconditional, but as we all know, there are situations in which self-preservation may have to take precedence.
Coming down to earth, we must acknowledge that there is the tried and true, extended connotation: “I cannot live without you. I must have you.” This is love inspired by the god Eros: I love you, and feel incomprehensible, overwhelming, mysterious, sensual, and erotic feelings for you…Am I getting it right here?
Finally we arrive at the really mundane use of love. Examples: “I love pizza.” “I love my $200,000 Tesla Roadster.” My God, am I actually wishing pizza or my Tesla unconditional good? Will I survive without pizza or a Tesla? Or am I sexually aroused by either? Who knows these things. Maybe, indeed, I am awash in passion. This is a loose use of love. Try again. How about: “I like pizza, and that g.d. expensive SOB of a car.” (Excuse my burlesque.) As a solution to this confusion, can we not cherish the word love and stop the loose use of the word love for every damn thing on the face of the earth. Isn’t this better?
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