The question remains, how do you know if you love someone? Now we're not talking about prince-charming-you-can't-live-without kind of thing. Not infatuation, not liking someone, not being in love, but loving someone.

My friend asked me what was the difference between being in love and loving someone in her hopes of trying to convince me of something. Until now, I actualyl cannot answer that question. But I know that there has to be something more than just wanting the best for that person, right? I mean, I want world peace yeah. yeah. miss universe, but that does not necessarily mean that i love each and every person that's gonna be affected by it in the way that I would love someone I am in a relationship with. Point in fact is, there has to be something different not the usual autograph book definition of what love is. Come on!

I guess mainly being in love means you can fall out of it. I would relate it to infatuation. Loving someone... now THAT's hard. i know it's a deeper feeling.

... thinking about the question again, I do have some answers that may lead to it, but I'm not really sure. First, I always thought that you would know you love a person if you can't live without that person. but then, everyone can live on his/her own. Heck, everyone should be able to do that!

Second, I thought that love is an act of the mind. getting philosophiacl here, but it's really your mind recognizing something beautiful in this person without really discarding that person's faults. but then, what the heck does that mean? Act of the mind? I need something concrete to determine if the act of the mind is THERE or NOT.

Third, Love has to also include the emotions and passions. I mean, let's be realizstic here, married couples HAVE children.If they don't then they should. But that really fraks me out so I will not go into that.

Lastly, I keep thinking about how This Mighty Being made all these things happen in such a way that it all fits into the grand plan of things. But then, is that really shared among couples or even among ordinary friends or relatives?

What I do admire are those people who spend all their lifetime committed to Someone intangible careful of their actions so as not to jeopardize that personal relationship they have with Him.

Is that love? I certainly know it is a manifestation of it, but THAT is not what it entirely is. All I know is I see these people and they are happy. They are happy not because of anything other than the fact that they know that that Person will always love them. And no matter what, that Person will never turn his back on them. That person can never hurt them. They are not spared of hardships in life. In fact, they even suffer more because they ahve to stand up against society's ridicule and trials such as seeing people they ahve learned to care for leave because of circumstances beyond their control. I keep thinking maybe this is selfish too coz while they give their lives, they have the assurance that the Person they have given their whole life to will never turn against them.

so when do you determine when you love someone? Heck if i know!