what is love By Shubhanyu Jain

The word "love" may be used to describe an experience or a feeling felt by someone for someone. People think of love only in the narrowest possible sense. Physical contact between a boy and a girl is all what they think... Love is, in reality, (as I feel) something which can not be framed into words properly. Anything you say will only be a vague representation, not what love actually stands for...

A husband and a wife. No kids. They do not indulge in any sexual contact at all. People might say this is not love; I disagree!

They respect each other. They care for each other's time. They care for each other's jobs and professions. They enjoy each other's company. They like to be with each other. Sometimes the husband cooks. Sometimes the wife waters the plants. Only thing absent is sexual contact. Is this not love? Pure, unadulterated love?

Society today is thinking in a much narrowed down perspective…this horizon needs to be broadened in order for the future generations to have an open, receptive mind. Curiosity can be both good and bad. In science, in the quest for answers to life, curiosity is good. But when a boy looks at a girl only to see what's inside, this form of curiosity is bad. This mentality needs to be changed. We have to make sure that in future, girls can roam the streets without fear of being molested.

Love happens on various platforms:

- physical

- intellectual

- spiritual

When you love only the body, it is physical love - what we call sex. Sex in itself is misunderstood these days. Sex is another way to express love. The meeting of two bodies is not just lust. It is divine. It is a meeting of hearts, a meeting of soul – unification of two souls. But the younger generation today scoffs at such ideas.

When u love the company of a person, like to talk, speak your heart out, share your joys/sorrows, care, understand, get angry, cool down...it is intellectual love. You do not think about the body here; you only look at the mind and the heart. You only look that you feel happy in the company of the other person. You look at the fact that the other person makes you happy.

The combination of physical and intellectual love produces spiritual love, the most complete form of love. Godly love. God loves your body, spirit, soul. In the same vein, you love a person completely when you love the soul. For in essence, the soul IS the person. What is the body, apart from being a place for the soul to stay? You are your soul.

So, the next time somebody says I love you, do not hit back or get awed. The person may not be looking at your body; the person may not be looking to have sex with you. The person may only be feeling happy in your company; the person may only be reveling in your presence. He may be grateful to you; he may be harboring respect for you. He may be loving you. And he is admitting it when he says, I love you. This, is love. Real, spontaneous love. No strings attached.