To love, or fall in love?

“A woman’s life is love, a man’s love is life….my mans hit me like, “Love is logical, being in love is an emotion! Once you’re in love you stop being logical!”–Corey (aka @CAUSECHiCAGO) It was suggested to me that I blog about the difference between loving someone and falling in love with someone. First, I’d like to share others’ opinions… “I think being ‘in love’ is more of a temporary thing – like infatuation.”–Adrienne “Loving someone is a feeling that you have. Falling in love is something you do. Falling in love can be deceiving as loving someone is unconditional.”–Brandon “The difference is selflessness. I think the whole “falling in love part” isn’t much more than infatuation. Love is the willingness to disregard you’s or me’s and think in we’s.”–Jada “Loving someone is having a genuine concern/affection for their well-being; being in love is WOWZA! They excite you, complete you, and make you go “OOO”.–Shantell “Loving someone doesn’t involve your feelings and emotions. But when you’re in love, you’re willing to do the unthinkable.”–Lauren “Falling in love, requires more than just loving that person; it’s a physical, spiritual, mental action. When you fall in love, it is no longer about loving that person, or that person loving you. It’s now something that you both are vitally part of.”–Sonia G. “Loving someone is basically the mutual affection you have with someone like a family member. Falling in love is more for when you have sexual feelings for that person. More than what you would have for say a friend or family member.”–David C. “I only know that when your falling in love it’s all butterflies in your tummy shit. After that it gets gradually broken.”–Tracy “Being in love or falling is pertaining to a emotional connection between two people that want to be in a relationship together! The passion, the expression of emotion; it’s just all very intimate! Loving someone is just a thought of having feelings for that person’s well being and just knowing that person is well. We love our friends, our pets, our teachers, our favorite pair of jeans…but we could never be in love with the aforementioned!”–Marci “Loving someone is a constant behavior – in other words: work. Falling in love is a feeling that usually doesn’t last.”–David W. “People say it’s only love when the person loves you back. I don’t think that’s true. Love is trust, happiness, sadness, and passion.”–Sonja “You can love multiple people at any time. You can only be in love with one person at a time.”–Brandon “The difference is that when you love someone you can live without them, and when you fall in love they’re your world.”–Lydia “Falling in love ss passion, lust, commitment, the desire to be with this person in a romantic way. You love your mother and your friends.”–Monique “Love is something that is very hard to forget. Being in love is something that people can fall out of very easily.”–Jon I collected approximately 37 opinions, and I found those the most interesting… What is my opinion on the topic? I feel that loving someone is purely unconditional. It’s unadulterated. There will never be anything (most likely) that will cause your love for that person to cease and desist. I do agree with some of what was said earlier; that love is usually relegated to family and friends, or an inanimate object here or there. A parent and his/her child(ren). Best friends. Teammates. A person and their pet. You can also love a spouse. Or a teacher. In my opinion, loving someone is something that doesn’t consume you everyday. You just love someone, plain and simple. That person doesn’t have to give you the world on a silver platter. You love them for them, and not anything that they can do for you. I agree partly with the notion that falling in love has something to do with infatuation. To be so into someone that you feel that you can’t live without them. To not want, but to feel that you NEED that person. I do believe that physical attraction plays a factor, and quite possibly sex appeal, too. Still, I think it’s deeper than that. I agree with Sonja G, when she said that being in love is something that two people are a vital part of. It’s a commitment, in a way. You’re telling a person that you’re theirs, in mind, body, and spirit. The “butterflies in your tummy shit” could be construed as infatuation, but I also think it has something to do with unbridled optimism and hope. I think the problem is too many people possess BLIND optimism. THAT is when being infatuated gets you into trouble. You’re not allowing yourself to fall for the entire person; only the parts that bring out the “I’m in love” side of you. I firmly believe that being in love is conditional. I highly doubt a person can remain in love with someone that has abused, or blatantly deceived them somehow. I do, however, feel that love can remain. One might not act on it, but it’s still there. In conclusion, I think the main difference between loving and being in love with someone are existing and non-existing conditions. In a way, loving someone is a natural feeling, while being in love is slightly on the side of contrived. Both can bring you pain and joy. Both are just a part of being human, and eventually, the majority of us will be affected by them. Whether positively, or adversely, we’ll all be affected by the two in one way or another… P.S. I miss Karen!!! P.P.S. #shoutout to @aidans_mommy_02, @QueenofVague, @theSoniaG, @Mandavo, @Brandon_Gilmore, @MoeRucker, @bishlu77, @mrsWonderWoman, @CAUSECHiCAGO, @Sugfrmclrpurple, @daydreams85, @urbangenius, Marci, Lydia, Brandon, Tiara in her tiara, Jon, M.M.M., The L.O.V.E., and LIFE…