**So a few of my friends wanted me to talk about this topic, just to see where my head was and my own personal opinion on it. There's nothing much that I can say about this topic because to each his own, but this is what I came up with thus far.**
I want to start off with the dictionary definition of each word:
Like (the verb)- to take pleasure in; find agreeable or congenial; to regard with favor; have a kindly or friendly feeling for
Love (the verb)- to have a profoundly tender, passionate affection for (another person); to have a strong liking for; take great pleasure in; to need or require; to have sexual intercourse with; infused with
In my opinion the comparison between like and love is like night and day, even though one compliments the other, their two different expressions of emotion. There isn't really an exact picture painted out for you, that's anywhere, actually, it just gives you a sense of reality. You can easily like someone, take me for example. I like everyone and anyone until they do something for me to dislike them. Liking someone isn't hard, loving is. I believe everyone is loved by someone, whether it be a family member, a friend, or a partner BUT not everyone has THE GIFT TO LOVE, just how not everyone is cut out to be a parent.
To like someone is to play it safe, once you love someone your entering dangerous territory. We all know that love can make us do crazy things, I know it's made me do crazy things that were not part of my character, but that's what it's all about- sacrificing, sometimes if your willing and if necessary, it's sacrificing who your are or parts of who you are to make things work. Love is a compromise. To like someone is essential to love someone, not close but liking is the beginning, love doesn't happen overnight, with the exception of those who fall in "love at first sight"; not to put anyone down with that phrase, because I've been there, at least I thought I was, and if you read a lot you'll find out that most people who "fall in love at first sight" are the ones who are creating our high divorce rates, sadly, of course because who wouldn't want to fall in "love at first sight". I'm a strong believer of "instant connections" because that's exactly what my boyfriend and I had. We connected on the first day and went on from there. Yes I love my boyfriend, but I liked him before I loved him. He was an interest, thats what liking someone is. It's an interest that you have towards someone.
"To me 'like' is when you like a certain quality in a person, to me, that's what 'like' is, its an emotion that's just for the moment. Love. Love is something that takes time to grow. It's no superficial , or at least it shouldn't be." -Lizka Baez; my mother
You always have a choice between liking or loving some one. Love is a choice you either make or you don't. You can't blame someone else for your choice. If love doesn't work with that person, it doesn't mean that you go and start blaming each other for it. Blame yourself, trust me because a relationship consists of two, or three if your into that sort of thing LOL. The longer you blame your ex partner the worst it'll be for you, because that means every relationship after that one will continue to repeat itself, because your still blaming your ex and not focusing on what you did wrong, so you will continue to make the same mistakes that will practically mess up your next relationships. Love is all about trust- trust that your partner wil not leave you, that they will stay with you through the good and the bad; trust in positivity not in negativity. If you want it to work you must choose to understand that person, accept, endure, compromise. A woman can have 10 children under her belt, but I can tell you one thing, if there is a man who loves her, truly loves her, nothing else matters because he will love her and her 10 children, will love her through the bad hair days, through age and much more.
There are always going to be prettier, more handsome, more intelligent people out there, but if your committed, there shouldn't be any problem in following through with it.
One of my favorite quotes on love is, "Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love" by Albert Einstein.
Some people keep their emotions to a minimum, they only like in fear of loving, they don't want to love because they fear of falling in love. I used to be one of those people, sometimes I wonder if I still am, I'm still trying to overcome my "commitment phobia", but life is about living. So, I let myself fall in 2005 and the first time it happened I fell flat on my ass because there wasn't anyone to catch me, but this is not about the sadness in a previous relationship, its about the lesson learned. I fell and I lived and knew what it felt like. Now I'm in the process of falling again and so far I'm loving the ride; he's right behind me making sure I dont hurt myself. So what if you get hurt, you get up and keep moving. You will never know what it feels like to fall in love, even if it's for a little while, if your not willing to be strong enough to let go and fall.
Two questions you should always ask yourself when your fighting between strongly liking someone and really loving someone:
1. If your partner were to cheat on you tomorrow, and told you about it, would you be strong enough to forgive them, try and work it through and not throw it in their face for the rest of your life or relationship?
2. If your partner were to get into a car accident, was paralyzed from the waist down, would you stay with them?
If you have answered yes to both these questions and really meant it from the bottom of your heart, then you dont just love this person, your IN LOVE, Congrats because not everyone can find love.
In conclusion, to like someone is simply a pleasure, you can live without it. Loving someone is rolling over every morning to make sure they didn't go anywhere. If you ever have to ask yourself more than once if you love the person your with, then you don't love them at all. The true test of love lies in what happens after the infatuation fades and passion settles.
-Butta Love, the provocative verbalist.
