The Ultimate love

I'm curious what some of you would define as 'the ultimate love'? Would it be finding the love of a god or God? Would it be finding true love from another person? Or would it be finding true love within yourself? What kind of love would it take to make you feel the true meaning of love? What kind of love would complete you?

I'll tell my theories later, I want to hear or read what you have to say first.
Magestica

I'm ambivalent. Love seems to be a very subjective thing, an overwhelming euphoria for some and a disease of the endocrinological system for others.

Substitute 'awareness' for love, and I relate to it more than a little better.


"It is better to have loved one too may than one too few".

"It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all".

"Love is a battlefield".

"All's fair in love and war".

etc etc etc.

I don't think love exists as an actual emotion. Its more or less a generalized term for several different types of human behaviors and thought patterns such as care and lust.

I personally have never felt something that I could consider uniquely "love" other than thoughts of caring or lusting after certain things.

A love of god and all creation that is manifest inside oneself,

allowing love and acceptance of myself,

which makes me more attractive to others.

the attractiveness primarily being the capacity to love.

I am no expert on this human love, having walked away from it on a few occasions for various reasons,

but in rare situations it could be a wondrous thing.

I'm not sure that love' means the same thing to everyone,

it is one of those words like success, freedom, and happiness, which are so elusive to define.

A difficult one for the Relig & Spit Forum. In a Western context John's Gospel seems pretty clear:
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" or "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son"
Plainly the ultimate love here is a willing sacrifice.
Of course, our single word "love" has a number of meanings and the Gospel uses one of the Greek possibilities "agape" as noun or verb which certainly isn't the same as Romantic or erotic love and is probably not to be confused with an emotion.

I believe that the ultimate love is expressed as soon as you realize that you would die for another human being in order to preserve their life. This could be a friend, a mate, your child, your country.

BTW, welcome back to ATS Magestica, hope the move went well!

love is gravity. the prime attractor. the force which keeps things from flying apart. love is god. blankets it nicely, don't you think?

Originally posted by magestica
I'm curious what some of you would define as 'the ultimate love'? Would it be finding the love of a god or God? Would it be finding true love from another person? Or would it be finding true love within yourself? What kind of love would it take to make you feel the true meaning of love? What kind of love would complete you?

I'll tell my theories later, I want to hear or read what you have to say first.
Magestica

You're looking for love. Love don't live here.But if you ever had it, you wouldn't ask this question.

Hard question to answer...as honestly I don't think I know...

I know what it is to feel love from my family and some very close friends...I know they love me for who I am, the real me, not for what I am on the outside...not for what I dress like, speak like, job I do, car I drive etc etc...they love me for ME. And I love them for who they are as well...for the very same reasons...it is their essence, their being/soul I love and show love to.

That to me is a 'purer' form of love...its a love not dependent upon the external, the 'extras' and 'additions'...for all that is external is a cloud that covers the true person, distraction and as such serves as 'subtraction' from knowing the real THEM...its a love for the person in their 'raw form'.

I also know another love...a love for God, or who/what I see as God...I feel that love in return to...complete acceptance...

But as for love in other forms...well, I'm unsure...there have been times when people have told me they loved me, then turned around and destroyed me, cheated on me, took me for whatever I had and moved on to the next victim. I loved them for them...but that love, that type of love, was not returned...

...maybe, in a way, an 'ultimate' love is a love that is continued to be shown despite the pain of past 'love', despite the hurts and bruises...a love that is for that person/thing that is not coloured by the circumstances/conditions of whatever may have happened before...maybe its a love that is shown FROM soul TO soul...I dunno...



Peace,
ALIEN

[Edited on 21-9-2003 by alien]

The Ultimate Love, is when you care about someone else's happiness, more than your own...

[Edited on 22-9-2003 by Gazrok]

love is

Originally posted by banjoechef
love is

That sums it up for me.

banjochef, Leveller

I agree. Love is.

This is beautifully portrayed in one of the finer tracks from King Missile's 1994 album, King Missile, entitled Love Is. A good album, much better than Happy Hour which featured Detachable Penis, and up there in the top three King Missile albums. With all respect to John T. Hall....


Love Is


Love is beautiful
Like birds that sing
Love is not ugly
Like rats
In a puddle of vomit

Love is beautiful
Like the sunshine
And the dancing wind
Love is not ugly
Like pus
And lice
And tobacco snot
Love is beautiful

Love is beautiful
Like all the little animals
In a forest full of green
That smells like pine
And wonder
Love is not invisible brain control

And pain
And malicious intent
And lying all the time
Although it can be all of these things
And more

Love is a many splendored thing
It is not a shipload of slaughtered pigs
Rotting and festering
In the bleeding desert

Love is what love is
And love is not
What love is not

Love is a V8 engine, 4 wheel drive, and not one road in sight.

i think love for an object such as cars or love for a human being is completly different things. As for love in general i feel ive experienced it and it certainly wasnt for a "god"

Originally posted by magestica
I'm curious what some of you would define as 'the ultimate love'? Would it be finding the love of a god or God? Would it be finding true love from another person? Or would it be finding true love within yourself? What kind of love would it take to make you feel the true meaning of love? What kind of love would complete you?

I'll tell my theories later, I want to hear or read what you have to say first.
Magestica

Ultimate love is the only way to describe the feeling I get when I look into my childrens eyes! There is nothing more powerful, unconditional, or peaceful as that. (I got tears just thinking about it)

[Edited on 9/23/2003 by Venus]

What interesting responses from you guys! This really isn't about "finding love" "falling in love" or "love is a battlefield" LOL! I really couldn't give 2 you know whats about that kind of love..

But there was a discussion a while back amongst friends and we were discussing what would be considered the 'ultimate' love and I said truly loving yourself. While most of them said someone else or God. I think truly *falling* in love with yourself would be the most ultimate love, because for one, you would never feel unloved because if there is noone else in the world you can trust and depend on it's definately yourself..loving yourself too is one of human natures' most difficult tasks. But when you do, then there is nothing or noone that can stop you or take away that love or happiness. And most importantly, falling in love with yourself causes the world around you to seem 'in love' and even fall in love with you. Whether it be animals, nature, or other humans and even God.

Loving yourself doesn't break hearts and it doesn't lie or cheat or walk away in fear..the possibilities are endless..

So tell me, anyone here agree? Has anyone achieved this kind of love?
Magestica

I agree with you magestica. You can't love others & others can't love you if you don't love yourself 1st. This is not to be confused with selfishness.

...totally agree with you there Mags...well put!

We'll I thought that I had found the ulitimate love in my life.......But she left me.
So im not to sure, I seem to be in the state of confusion on some topics of love.
I think loving thy self is the greatest thing one can achieve and nowadays seem so hard when soceity has so many images of what the perfect man/woman should be.
Deep