What Is Love?

For me, love is both familiar and elusive. I haven’t been in a relationship for a long time, and I seem to have gradually forgotten how to love someone.

So, what is love? Love is not control, nor is it coercion. As an old saying goes, "A forced melon is not sweet." Confining someone through physical or mental restraint cannot be called love. Love is love, and not loving is not loving—there is no third option.

So, what is love? Love should be mutual respect and support. Two people come together because of love, but if they cannot maintain equality and respect in their relationship, it is doomed to fail. Many people today affectionately call each other "teammates" because they will walk hand in hand through the years ahead.

So, what is love? Love should be trust and honesty. Two people might meet through fleeting passion or physical attraction. But for the relationship to last, they must deeply understand each other, accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and build trust. Only with trust as a foundation can this bond endure.

So, what is love? Love should be a combination of friendship and family. Whether or not they have children, two people who start as strangers and eventually marry and build a family—each other’s relatives become their own family, and they regard each other as the closest people in their lives, even closer than parents. Because they are the ones who would turn their backs to protect each other in the most dangerous moments.

So, what is love? Love should be the daily routines of life: cooking, shopping, eating, sleeping, and waking up together. Most of the time, two people spend their days in simple domestic life. As years pass, beauty hides in ordinary moments, and the relationship quietly grows within this mundane atmosphere.

So, what is love? Beyond finding a partner, building a family, and raising children, life holds many other possibilities. Read more, explore the world, and your life will become broader. You’ll discover many different landscapes.

Finally, do you understand now? What is love?