The Many kinds of Love

When was the last time you looked someone in the eyes and told them that you loved them? Was it a family member? A friend? A girlfriend or boyfriend? In the course of a lifetime, we probably tell people in each of these groups that we love them. Yet, the meaning of those three simple words changes greatly depending upon whom they are directed at. There are many different kinds of love, and many different degrees of love. Each of these has equal importance, yet each has its own distinct qualities that make it appropriate for the people that it is directed towards.

Possibly the most important kind of love is that which is unconditional. Unconditional love is about caring, sharing, and comforting, regardless of the situation. This kind of love doesn't discriminate based upon race, religion, color, class, or anything else. Unconditional love is always mutual, between two or more people, each sharing the same kind of love for one another. This love is the strongest and truest of all love, and builds the strongest bonds between two or more people.

Another degree of love is "puppy love." This term is often used to describe the love between two children who are not mature enough to experience the emotions involved in unconditional love. Unlike unconditional love, puppy love comes and goes with time. It cannot often withstand situations that unconditional love would find a way to work through. Additionally, puppy love does not have to be a mutual feeling between two or more people. Middle school aged children, for example, often develop crushes on each other, but these feelings are often not mutual. To them, it is still real love, even though the other party may only want to be friends. Puppy love is innocent, and will often fade...