Why the need to distinguish true love from love?

If it's love is it not already true? Why the need to add the word "true" to it? If we call it true love, does it make it more special? If there is true love, does that mean there is false love? If the love is fake, then how could it be love in the first place? It always irks me when I hear people say I found true love as if it imply others might not have the real thing or the fact their previous love was not real at all. In some views, true love meant it will last forever, so if it didn't last we must have fallen victim to the deception of our feelings and emotions time and time again. Oh stupid false love, you got me again! The concept of true love is so universally recognized that it even takes a life of it's own. Like God, it's existence is debated constantly. For me, love is simply love. There may be different level of intensity or deepness but all love is true in its own right. Agree or disagree?

I think that insecure romantics are the ones using the phrase "true love." To everybody else, love is love.

In this day and age of serial monogamy, and casual sex there are many "loves" that come into peoples lives in their lifetime. Women especially seem to need to feel they are in some kind of love before they can enjoy a sexual relationship. (thanks I think to society's double standard of stud vs slut) So: I think when people say they've found their "true" love they are actually consciously in love with that particular partner and are valued as a partner and lover...The past "loves" were just a sub-conscious excuse to justify.

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Originally Posted by Bonfire [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

If it's love is it not already true? Why the need to add the word "true" to it? If we call it true love, does it make it more special? If there is true love, does that mean there is false love? If the love is fake, then how could it be love in the first place? It always irks me when I hear people say I found true love as if it imply others might not have the real thing or the fact their previous love was not real at all. In some views, true love meant it will last forever, so if it didn't last we must have fallen victim to the deception of our feelings and emotions time and time again. Oh stupid false love, you got me again! The concept of true love is so universally recognized that it even takes a life of it's own. Like God, it's existence is debated constantly. For me, love is simply love. There may be different level of intensity or deepness but all love is true in its own right. Agree or disagree?

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Yeah but I bet that same person called his exs his true love too at the time. I get jealous of the fact my boyfriend loved other women, it really does hurt as we all want to feel that we are the most special person to enter our partner life, that he/she loves us the most etc. But hard fact is that properly is not true. If I broke up with my boyfriend, I met someone else and fell in love, wouldn't I not think he was the one for me? that he was my future? Same for my boyfriend, he meet someone else and write me off as not the one and the new girl the one, new girl the true love. I think we all do it and in a way its true. Only one person we end up with in the end.

i agree there is diff types of love but in the end you eather love them with all your heart of you dont

I agree that love is love, but most humans have a need to label things. Somehow, psychologically, it makes us believe that we have control over something if we name it. Language is limited, however, so we don't always get the wordings right.

I believe true love is the type where you can actually imagine your partner running off with your best friend and you being completely happy for the both of them. That to me is true, unconditional and unattached love. When we attach to someone unhealthily (not trusting enough, trying to change them, having expectations etc) and get upset with mistakes they make we are experiencing attachment rather than love.

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Originally Posted by pisces25 [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

I believe true love is the type where you can actually imagine your partner running off with your best friend and you being completely happy for the both of them. That to me is true, unconditional and unattached love. When we attach to someone unhealthily (not trusting enough, trying to change them, having expectations etc) and get upset with mistakes they make we are experiencing attachment rather than love.

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True love isn't unconditional. In fact, no love is unconditional. For instance. If your partner were a serial killer that goes around eating people. You probably wouldn't have falling in love with him. If your partner was born physically deform say without an actual face just merely two orifice to breath air and eat via a feeding tube and no limbs to move around, basically looking more like a tree stump, you wouldn't develop this feeling of "true love" for him because you would not even know him since he can't communicate. You see, as much as we love to believe in unconditional love, there are conditions for that love to foster in the first place. Even a mother's love for her child is not unconditional for the condition is that it's her child. I do agree with you on the other aspect that love could exist unattached being happy for someone who left you for another. But it has more to do with selflessness than love for such feeling to exist. Although I don't think you can be "completely" happy about it. You can be happy for them, but to be completely happy means you did not feel any sadness or pain or heartbreak from it. I would question that love if no negative feelings were felt when someone you are in love with runs off. You can still be happy for them but you would also be gutted and sad that they left you. You will feel these things if you were truly in love.

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Originally Posted by Bonfire [Dear Guest/Member you have to reply to see the link.click here to register]

For instance. If your partner were a serial killer that goes around eating people. You probably wouldn't have falling in love with him. If your partner was born physically deform say without an actual face just merely two orifice to breath air and eat via a feeding tube and no limbs to move around, basically looking more like a tree stump, you wouldn't develop this feeling of "true love" for him because you would not even know him since he can't communicate.

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Some people do fall in love with people like this. Or if you do fall in love with someone and they go around killing 80 people then sure most people will want to break up with them but it doesn't mean the love didn't exist before. I have heard stories of women that fall in love with men in prisons, they see the person not their actions. No bad people only people doing bad things kinda thing. By unconditional I mean you can look at your partner and say with absolute meaning 'honey I love you exactly how you are. And I accept the mistakes you make, no matter what they are'. Too much I think we look at our partners and can't do that. I wouldn't be happy if my partner did something bad but why does my love change for him because of his actions? Because I have placed conditions on having that love from him. Unconditional love is extremely rare as we are all wanting to protect our ego but it can be done.

I once heard that we fall in love with how someone makes us feel rather than the person themselves. And I agree with this. I don't think we can ever truly know someone. We like to think we can.

Love is long-suffering and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, does not get puffed up, does not behave indecently, does not look for its own interests, does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Co 2:12

I once saw a guy wearing a t-shirt depicting two skeletons in the missionary position. The caption on the shirt said "True love never dies."

hahhhahhahahh.. :o)