Love Essay, Research Paper

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you would be loved, love and be lovable.” Love is something we are

all in at least one time or another in our life. There are many different meanings for the word love and

many people interpret it differently. Love as defined by Webster’s dictionary is a profoundly tender,

passionate affection for another person. When you love someone you care not only care about them

as a person, but also about their well being. When they are hurt, you feel hurt and when they are in

pain you feel pain also. Their physical and emotional problems are not only theirs, but they are yours

as well. To be in love means to care about that person so deeply that your life would not be complete

without them. The fact that you cherish one person so much is a blessing to some, as well as a gift.

The following fable tells of an orphan girl who had all the happiness in the world.

“There is a wonderful fable about a young orphan girl who had no family and no one to love her. One

day, feeling exceptionally sad and lonely, she was walking through the meadow when she noticed a

small butterfly caught unmercifully in a thornbush. The more the butterfly struggled to free itself, the

deeper the thorns cut into the butterfly from its captivity. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly

changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

‘For your wonderful kindness,’ the good fairy said to the girl, ‘I will grant you any wish you would like.’

The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, ‘I want to be happy!’

The fairy said, ‘Very well,’ and leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the good fairy

vanished.

As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her the

secret of her happiness. She would only smile and answer, ‘The secret of my happiness is that I

listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.’

When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all rallied around her, afraid that her

fabulous secret of happiness would die with her. ‘Tell us, please,’ the begged. ‘Tell us what the good

fairy said.’

The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, ‘She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they

seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.’”(Canfield 117-118).

People often confuse happiness with actually being in love. They think that because they are happy,

that they are in love. When in fact for the most part they are just happy with the idea of being in love

and spending the rest of their life with someone.

Many people break up and get divorces. Sometimes it makes you wonder if they were even in love to

begin with. So many times people rush into relationships and become involved way to quick. I once

caught myself all wrapped up in a guy, that I forgot what was most important thing,…me. I forgot

about pleasing myself and making myself happy because the whole time I was constantly doing

things to please him. He claimed he loved me and was extremely happy, but in actuality I believe he

was in love with the idea of what I could do for him to make him happy. He was not in love with me

because love does not mean being selfish. When someone loves another person, they are not always

concerned with what they can get out of the relationship; they are concerned with what they can put

into it. Being happy with a person does not always mean that you are in love. I think you find this

most in young relationships. I know in my case I thought that I was so in love and that I could never

find that certain someone to make me feel the way that person made me feel. I was devastated for

some time but come to find out years later, I was not in love to begin with.

For the most part when you love someone and you want to spend the rest of your life with him or her,

you will know it. You know how people always say its just that gut feeling inside that makes them

know for certain they are in love. The one thing that I have always wanted to be is in love. I want

someone to love me unconditionally for me and who I am, not for my looks etc. That may sound

conceited, but sometimes you see people constantly talking about so and so because of their looks

when they don’t even actually know the person. I believe that the personality and morals of a person

make them the most attractive of all. Just because someone has the looks and seems to have

everything else going for them does not mean that inside they are happy with themselves. “Love is

patient… kind… does not act unbecomingly… is not provoked… does not take into account a wrong

suffered… believes all things… hopes all things… endures all things. Love never fails.” (1 Corinthians

13:4-5,7-8.) When it comes down to it, we all just want to be loved.

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