
The Oxford University Press’ compact dictionary defines “Love” as (noun) 1 an intense feeling of deep affection. 2. A deep romantic attachment to someone. 3 a great interest and pleasure in something. 4. A person or thing that one loves.
It also defines “Relationship” is (noun) 1 the way in which two or more people or things are connected, or the state of being connected. 2 the way in which two or more people or groups regard and behave towards each other. 3. An emotional association between two people.
We clubbed together is becomes “Love Relationship”, though the Oxford Dictionary doesn’t have this as an entry, I am trying to decipher the meaning, the way I see/understand it. To begin with, its quite complicated. Its not very definable by a lesser mortal like me, but I shall still give it a shot.
I start with the other words that come to my mind when I think of love. Those words are: trust, respect, attachment, selfless, life, understanding, respect, association, happiness, joy, cherish, ecstasy, passion, serene, warmth. These are the first set of words that I think of when I think of love. But, in this world of people being slightly selfish, how true do these words hold? Lets be honest, its not an utopian world out there and none of us are saints, so how true is the definition of love and relationship?
Lets try the same for the words I associate with relationship: bond, love, happiness, calm, peace, warmth, joy, understanding, happiness, partnership, association, attachment. Then again how many of us actually feel this way about relationships? I mean when I hear about relationships I have heard about fights, incompatibility, lack of space, lack of understanding, pain.
Another try as word associations, let me try and pick out the common attributes to words I associate with love and relationship. I come up with the following: attachment, warmth, happiness, joy, and understanding. These 5 words pretty much define a relationship for me so to say. Yes I need the warmth, I want to be attached to someone, I want to feel the happiness, I want to spend my life in joy and I want my partner to understand me.
But then I cannot be selfish here and just hope to get it all just sitting down, it has to be mutual. It has to be given back the same way it would come to me. Sometimes its not the case. Sometimes we just get into something and realize midway that its not working for us. Its that moment that redefines our life, insecurity creeps in and we try and cling on to it, supported by the small little good memories and things that we experienced for the first time, its always a case that if this ends, I end. If this falls short, then I will not have anyone’s hand to hold, I will be left standing out cold and torn.
Its general human tendency, it’s a characteristic trait that is imbibed into us since we are kids and we are taught to be loving, affectionate, respect the binds and attachment that we share with family and friends. That’s the seed of where it all starts, that’s where it all originates from. We all are suckers for emotions, drama, happiness, love, feeling to love, want to be loved. But then life always has a lesson or two in store for us every time. We win some. We lose some. We run the race, we keep the pace, we have the patience, we nurture the steam to carry on.