Do we know the meaning of love?

Now, let me be frank with you here. I am quite confused with the connotation of the word “love” nowadays. In the good old days, when everything was true and there was no place for fake values, love meant a noble sentiment that tied up two people together and made them dream of getting united for the rest of their lives. Their true feelings stimulated both of them to take responsible action towards the realization of their dream. Such love, which helps one attain his/hers psychological, emotional and physical satisfaction that creates balance in his/her life, truly brings the ultimate happiness.However, nowadays we seldom see such love. Being in a relationship is considered having fun or an experience rather than having a commitment. We come across a person, get attracted towards him/her, have some fun, even “get down with him/her” and when a relationship goes to the dumps, we switch off our emotions, say good bye and move on. We fail to show even the slightest amount of concern. Do we honestly lose the sanctity and integrity of our hearts??I don’t seem to grasp it when a situation like this arises, and the sad part is that it happens to all of us, regardless of religious or cultural background. A person who is, at the moment pouring his/her heart out and is completely in love, and the next time you look around, he/she has called the relationship off and is calling their “most-cherished-one” names and evidently has fallen “out of love” with him/her. It is time to move on, they say. So where do all those sweet nothings go? Those romantic dinners? Those awesome gifts? Those countless walks while holding hands? Down the drain?

Does this mean that the person was never in love with the other or has he/she fallen “out of love”? I don’t believe that one can fall out of love with someone if he/she has truly loved. We cannot just snap our fingers and say, its love! And then snap our fingers again: love’s gone!

Love may also refer to the physical relationship, as it is the more decent word for “sex”. Instead of saying “having sex” they say “make love”. Here comes my confusion. Does love now means to have sex? True, that both men and women are born with this natural affiliation or desire between them but is it so out of control? There was a time when sex before marriage was considered a big sin, even in the western societies which have always been considered much liberal than the eastern culture. A sexual union was measured to be a sacred and sanctified union of two people, in love and married. However, now boys and girls can’t wait to turn sixteen so that they can have that “pleasure” of the intercourse. The sight of a 13-year-old pregnant girl is very common and instead of discouraging them, we are actually encouraging them by giving them their so-called rights! Aren’t we so liberal?Apart from the moral perspective, we all know what health issues are related to such acts. Some of the most deadly diseases including AIDS arise from such “pleasures” that we get from our so called “being in love”. The price of having a moment’s pleasure is paid by losing one’s life when he/she is tested HIV positive. I feel sorry when I realize that our young generation does not know the difference between love and sex. For them, this is one and the same thing. I don’t see how they will live happily by falling in and out of relationships, discontinuing the education, getting horrible infections and raising five kids- all from different boyfriends!!!! What identity will those kids have? Would they ever know what it feels like to live in a family? Would they ever know the meaning of love? Do we know the meaning of love?