CMU students elaborate on a dictionary definition of love

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One of life’s greatest questions was posed by singer Haddaway in 1993: “What is love?”

Those who celebrate the love in their lives may not have a clear conception of what it means.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines love as a “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.” It also also defines love as an “attraction based on sexual desire, or an affection and tenderness felt by lovers.”

Troy senior Carrie Stock thinks love is something much deeper.

“Love is an unconditional feeling,” she said. “It allows you to be who you want to be and who you are, and (to) feel things for other people.”

Stock said she thinks love even has the potential to save lives.

Though Farmington Hills junior Spencer Haworth thinks love is a difficult term to define, he said it is unconditional.

“It’s just the feeling of not being able to live your life without that person,” he said.

Central Michigan University sociology professor Brigitte Bechtold said from a sociological standpoint, love is a social construction.

“We tend to love someone who is the kind of person with whom we can make a life that is (constant),” she said. “We are socialized to like the things that are good for us.”

Bechtold said people tend to fall in love with others that can provide for them. She said people often find it easier to fall in love if the person is both attractive and employed.

She said both of these practical considerations provide a feasible belief that it will be easier to have children and sustain a household.

“We don’t see them as practical, we see them as love,” she said.

Davison sophomore Roxanne Harris celebrated her Valentine’s Day as half of a couple. Her boyfriend of over a year is a student at the University of Michigan.

“(Love is) just the feeling that you experience when you want to be with someone,” she said.

Rochester Hills sophomore Chris Corrigan said even though there is a dictionary definition for the word “love,” he finds the feeling incredibly hard to match words with.

“Without getting super sappy and deep about it, it’s an indescribable feeling,” he said. “You can’t really ever define it, you just know that it’s a good thing.”

Corrigan said he thinks love makes people better, and he aims to express his love for those around him through his words, kindness and actions.

Stock said she tries to show her love for those around her as much as possible by caring for the people and things around her.

“(I do) my best to make sure that everybody knows there’s someone that cares for them,” she said.