I want to know what love is. The main concern in my Christian life is loving others so I think about the word and what it means to me all the time. Something I have observed and like discussing with people is the different capacities and deepness of love in specific relationships. When I was younger I considered my friends to be closer to me than my family because I chose them and we didn't have to get along, we just did. When I became Christian most of those friends didn't want to be around me anymore. Since that time I have been more open to loving my family along with everyone else. My whole family and I get along great, but I noticed thru all my ups and downs my big brother has always been there for me.

If I had to pick one person I love the most in this world it would be my brother. People say we look alike and have the same mannerisms, and even our own language. When our family gets together we always end up sitting next to each other and can have one another laughing in stitches but nobody else even heard our jokes because we communicate in "an inaudible low mumble" according to my sister in law. I show my love by spending time with him, helping him out when he needs something, and I actually answer my phone when he calls.

I have noticed this in others too, how brothers seem to be the closest tie in a family. Funny how I was made a eunuch in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

I want to know from you what relationship you think has the greatest capacity for love. Not just in your life at this moment but thru observation of others. Also I would like to know how you express the love to the person closest to you, and how you would most want to receive their love in return. Yes you have to pick one, if you can't and have to be all deep just go click around in the personals or something.

I didn't specify a difference between males and eunuchs because I dont consider eunuchs a third gender. Medically I could be wrong but being a eunuch I dont notice any greater broadening of my love. I do think the T blocked my adoration of little kids and animals but hasn't changed my deepest love. I am a eunuch but I still consider myself a guy.

Good question randy

There are several different kinds of love I have found several different books

On the very topic

But the one you are most familiar with is the bible that agree that it is

A mothers love for her child that is the deepest and strongest

Both for humans and as well in the animal hingdom

Randy you left out very many groups in the list. You took the normal straight world. There is a great many other relationships and friend groups that are just as important and as strong. You have all the gay and lesbian relationships. There is also all the transsexual combination. The world is very complex.

For me my friendships changed greatly when my hormones changed.

Love is a gift to our lives. I have many friends and family that I love. Love comes in several types. I seem to excel with agape love and less with romantic love. Self love is another type that has never developed with me or I was never taught to self love. In all my years of giving care I have felt love for my patients and a sense of loss upon their passing.

I currently have a new friend in my life that is very joyful and causes me to step outside my self. I am doing things that I would never have done alone and we have a great day planned for tomorrow. I love him but in a friend buddy kind of way. I recently had a connection with another friend whom I respect and admire. Again it is not romantic or sexual but the connection is profoundly important to me. The loss of either friend would be very painful.

My last romantic/sexual realtionship has ended over the past few months. Yes I still love him but no we are not good for each other, well he is not good for me. We have tried off and on for many years but now I can accept we are not meant to be.

As far as the greatest capacity for love I find the different people I love and for the different reasons I love satisfy something different in my heart. I need them all and I love them all. Life would be diminished without all love.

If you want to know what real love is all you have to do is look at your father in heaven who died for your sins.Those nails in his hands were put there by you sins and mine.Randy this is real love

Hmmm... If we were to look to Socrates for the answer, in Plato's "Symposium", it boils down to the longing to be reunited with that which you are currently not with, and the intense desire to continue to be with that which you currently are.

The Symposium is one of my favourite pieces of literature!

-2 oops... being dyslexic again...

-s

I think your poll is nonsense. My wife and I are very close and she is also my best friend. So which category should I choose? what about love for your entire family? What kind of "love" are you describing?

Paul Newman died yesterday at 83, he and his wife Joan Woodard were married for 50 years.

He was once asked if he ever messed around, his answer was why go out for hamburger when you have steak at home.

I have been divorced for 18 years, there is no way I even want to be in the same room with my ex-wife but in some ways I still love her, I always will.

I have 5 kids, I love them all but I do love some more then others, my youngest son lives with me, I love him more then the others for reasons I shall not get into but he is my hero, I love him unconditionally.

I have two brothers, the oldest I cant stand, have not talked to him in years. the other brother I loved, he passed 21 years ago. I miss him every single day. It was from him that I learn unconditional love.

When I was a kid I loved my dog Tiny more then anything, she died at 18. There has never been another pet that I loved as much until now. Rupert is the love of my life, he is my little boy, my best friend.

What is love?

Good luck, it is many things and its different for each and every person and the pets they love.

You find the answer to this one and you will be on your way.

Have you ever answered a post where you knew what you wanted to say and when you started to answer it, it changed and took on life of its own. That was this post.

River

I want to toss in a remark about people-animal relationships (not that way!). There was a recent posting about the passing of a cat. You can tell from the thread that animals have a very special place in many, many peoples lives. Animal-human relationships cannot replace human-human relationships, but the opposite is also true. I don't think all animals are capable of that as I know all humans are not capable, but when it works it has a special sweetness because an animal is not wrapped up in work, mortgage, grades, credit card payents, Saturday night and what the Jones think.

I don't understand the choices, including those you left out.