The "L" Word

I don't know why, but lately I've been thinking about what LOVE really means. I know that everyone's got a first-hand experience (whether with a family, friend or significant other) and that it's a topic that been overly discussed and judged. But I just had an intelligent chat with a close friend and she said that one should know that there is a "big difference when you are standing on a hill looking at the flowers below, and when you are actually lying among the flowers". At this point, now that I have got a better view, I could relate to more people when they say that love is all about self-giving. I can't believe that a person is in love without understanding the principle of sacrifice. Loving, sometimes means pain. One famous quote says, "you hurt because you love." A lot of people fear this possibility. But loving, on the other hand, also means enduring the pain, and being willing to sacrifice your own feelings. In that way it is unconditional. It also means putting "him" or "her" before "you". When you've learned to do that, then you have learned to love. But it's a whole lot different from martyrdom as most people conceive it to be. In someway it is, but I think love's got a bigger scope. It encompasses everything. Martyrdom, patriotism, sacrifice, faithfulness, loyalty, patience, etc. - all spring from love. They are considered as best expressions of love. Of course, it is important that as we find love, we should also seek our own happiness and share it with someone who would be willing to share it. That, I think, is the beauty of love.