Thread: Is love even real?

Actually I think it's the same in italian, french, spanish... i.e. the same word but used differently in the sentence. I could be wrong though

Yeah, it seems like it would be the same in all the romantic languages, whatever it is. I'm more curious about other "indiginous" and asian languages.

I think Dream, that it is the most real/true thing there is. I think it makes the world go 'round.

Very clever, OX. You've outdone yourself.

I'm pretty sure the guy in that picture taught at my school. His name was Mr Marshall and he took maths and sewing.
He beaded his wife's wedding dress. I don't actually think he had a wife.

Originally Posted by AA

Yeah, it seems like it would be the same in all the romantic languages, whatever it is. I'm more curious about other "indiginous" and asian languages.

For the longest time I didn't realize why they were called "Romantic" or "Romance" languages.

That's OK. I only recently learned the difference between a dress and a skirt. I thought they were all dresses, and that a skirt was just a kind of dress. I found out when I went to buy my wife a skirt she'd been looking at and the saleslady corrected me. Live and learn.

I think most everyone is capable of falling in love with someone else. But staying in love is where the real test comes in. You have to put a little work and effort into staying in love, and the love grows from a 'breathless' sort of love into a more sustainable solid feeling. I know that may sound boring to the younger people, but it isn't in reality.

You're right, Gumby. But I still get that "breathless" feeling too.

Not long ago, my wife took a temp job downtown, and every day when I went to pick her up at the train station, I'd see her come around the corner and my stomach would do a little flip.

Actually, it happens pretty often. I just remember that very distinctly, for some reason.

damnit joe, your sappiness makes me want to kick you in the balls.

You're right, Gumby. But I still get that "breathless" feeling too.

Agreed. It doesn't ever go away, I just meant that first part of falling in love mellows.

Originally Posted by Sigg

damnit joe, your sappiness makes me want to kick you in the balls.

I can't help it. I'm in love! Tra la la la la la.

*skips around room tossing rose petals from a basket*

Great thread. Lots of laughter.

I agree with Gumby about "love", but then Gumby was my favorite cartoon character as a child so I feel obligated to agree...LOL.

How many kinds of love are there? Is love always good? It has been a two-edged sword in my life. On one hand, I've enjoyed 37 years with a woman that I fell in love with at first sight...for real. Her too. I've carried her into an emergency room unconscious from a severe medical problem. I've watched her cry inconsolably after losing a child in a miscarriage. I beat a man, almost to death, for grabbing her purse and knocking her into traffic. I delivered our third child myself. There is nothing I would not do for her, yet I no longer feel that giddy puppy-love that brought us together. It has matured into something much deeper. Early in our marriage, she said she would think herself rich when the day comes that she can have a vase of cut flowers on the kitchen table year round. I buy her fresh flowers every week now...have for over ten years.

On the other hand, when my dad died the pain in my chest and throat was unbearable. Dad taught me to be tough, to be gentle and to value personal honor above all else. He was the only person I called when I was in the hospital in Vietnam. We didn't talk long, but his words inspired me and gave me strength to recover and return to combat. When I came home, I was angry, bitter and disillusioned. Dad understood, but he also gave me the swift kick in the ass that forced me to overcome those residual effects. When he died, part of me retreated into childhood fantasy, refusing to accept the loss. A few days later, I broke down, crying for the first time in my adult life. It confused me and angered me that I acted so weak. I understand now that deep, abiding love produced those tears. Love of my father gave me the some of the greatest gifts in life and the worst pain I have ever felt, a physical choking that only time diminished.

As a father of four, I've seen my kids go through difficult life experiences, and I've watched them grow into happy adults. There's another kind of love.

What is love? Be damned if I know.

I don't see why it's weird to use the same word at all. Just because you don't have sex or make babies withi someone, it doesn't necessarily follow that you can't have similar feelings for them. Leaving out the idea of "true" love, plenty of people had crushes in third grade that felt quite similar to the sort they had in 7th grade, or highschool. Just because there was no sex involved, or even the thought that that might be part of it, it doesn't make those crushes suddenly completely different.



Having said that, the semester project in my Intro to Linguistics class was to make the basics of a conlang. We were required to have lexical distinctions not present in English. I think you can guess what word was the most popular as far as different concepts go. I think my group broke it into five different categories, but some others went even further.