Loving someone v Being In Love with someone

[f-fuxake]

Does anyone else make this differentiation?
Out of about 8 longish term partners (more than 6 months) I would say I've loved them all in their own ways but only been in love with one.
Always find it hard to describe the difference between the two though, something unquantifiable.
Anyone else feel the same?

[carter711]

Yea I can relate to that.

Edited by carter711 on Tuesday 15th September 12:39

[Digger]

I have always believed in . . . Women love being in love, and men are in love with the idea of being in love.

[NathanJones]

Well for me:

Loving someone is to cherish, adore, be kind to, respect, enjoy, trust and want to get to know better intimately their inner thoughts and fantasies. Being in love is smitten, enamoured, besotted, infatuated.

Personally I do not think you can have one without having had two.

I have only every been deeply in love with one person and I still am.

Everyone will see their relationship in a different manner.

[tonyvid]

NathanJones said:

Well for me:

Loving someone is to cherish, adore, be kind to, respect, enjoy, trust and want to get to know better intimately their inner thoughts and fantasies. Being in love is smitten, enamoured, besotted, infatuated.

Personally I do not think you can have one without having had two.

I have only every been deeply in love with one person and I still am.

Everyone will see their relationship in a different manner.

That's a good insight.

I think that probably fits in with "I love you but I'm not in love with you" but not sure...

[elster]

Jees...have you just been watching loose women or something?!

What a lunchtime topic!

Anyway I love several people, all friends. Just means to me that you care, worry and would help them out no matter what. I have 8 people including family that I love.

Being in love to me means you wake thinking of them, and sleep thinking of them. Put them before yourself and think of them before you decide anything.

[Silver993tt]

Being "In love" with only one person isn't natural but an artificial and socially engineered convention. That's why there are so many divoces/split-ups/whatever. People trying to fight nature and not ever having a starting chance.

Edited by Silver993tt on Tuesday 15th September 13:32

[NathanJones]

elster said:

Jees...have you just been watching loose women or something?!

What a lunchtime topic!

Anyway I love several people, all friends. Just means to me that you care, worry and would help them out no matter what. I have 8 people including family that I love.

Being in love to me means you wake thinking of them, and sleep thinking of them. Put them before yourself and think of them before you decide anything.

I thought the OP was talking about relationships with the other sex on a one to one basis, of course you are right about the love for family and friends.

[blindswelledrat]

Reading this feels exactly the same as being touched by my science teacher Mr Warbuton when I was 10.

[zakelwe]

I think you are using love when you should be using fond, assuming it's a partner and not your dog, mum, favourite rock group.

When people say they love someone when they are not in love I think they actually mean they are very fond of someone.

I always found the old expression

"Men love women, women love children and children love hamsters"

very true.

Regards
Andy

[f-fuxake]

Some interesting points there.
I think the difference is that you can love many things, partners, family, your car, footy team etc
In love is just with someone you can't bear to be with out, or even contemplate it.
I don't believe that you can be 'in love' with anyone or thing else than a partner. i.e. you can't be in love with your children or parents or any object.

[MiniMan64]

//PH

Gayer.

//PH

Edited by MiniMan64 on Wednesday 16th September 09:26