[Z]

Not a debate per se because there's no question, just an open discussion that'll hopefully turn into a debate in some tangent . What kinds of love have affected you, personally? What do you think love should be?

I don't think love (in the most general sense) is something that I'm aware of all the time. It takes a poignant moment for me to realise it or to be reminded of it; and I often forget that I love the people I hurt the most - which I think is true of most people. I get into arguments with my family or I ignore them or I complain about them, yet when anything even slightly bad happens to them I'd be the first one there to fight their corner. In summer, I went on a family holiday and fought with my younger brother so much to the point where I angrily told my parents I would never go on a holiday with him again and resolved to ignore him for the rest of the time I was at home. I got assaulted a month later and he was the first person to help me when I burst in through the front door and helped me identify the people who did it. Why is it that we go from such extremes with those we love?

So that's platonic love that you have with your family and friends. What about relationships? People throw the word around flimsily because they feel it necessary to convince themselves and/or others of their feelings; but then again it's often callous to not say it aloud every once in a while. How do you know when you're in love? How can people go from being in love, genuinely it seemed at one time, to being so sick of each other that they split up for good? Similarly, why do people cheat on those they love? Why keep things from people you love?

Insightful outpourings from the heart, gogogo! Soppy and cynical views are all welcome.