What is love? Well, for one, it is probably the number one misused word in the English language. English was once full of power and emotion, but has now come to a point when nothing said is sacred, devoid of the power it once evoked. Who really knows the reality and power of the word, "love"? I am sad to say few. Love today has come to mean, the fad of the day, the selfish motivation for self- pleasure, and most of all, in some cases just a moderate attraction. I will explain. When is the last time you used the word love? When was the last time you really meant it? Was it the same time? I sincerely hope so, but in most cases it isn’t.

What is your definition of love? The American Heritage Dictionary states the definition: love= n. 1. Intense affection and warm feelings for another. This is only one definition. Just a few years ago, this phrase was filled with emotion. Intense affection, not only does this mean powerful but to the extent of forgetting yourself and focusing only on the other person. How many of us truly feel that strongly for someone or something we love.

Are you willing to give everything for this person willing to get nothing in return? That is the tough part. We live in a time when fairness is in demand. We think life is supposed to be fair and focused on us. We think if it isn’t fair we deserve to be reimbursed, then we use the excuse of "using our experience to benefit others in our situations" when really the whole thing started out as ourselves only. Love doesn’t happen when selfishness is involved. Strong feelings, possibly, but true, undivided, unconditional love demands the utmost selflessness.

Love is willing to sacrifice everything, just because. We all want it, but have we really had it? Many of us have used the phrase, "I love you," not realizing what we are saying. What we should be realizing is that those words mean I am willing to sacrifice all for you, give up everything I have, go through anything, just for the sake of loving you, and still expecting nothing in return.

Why are we a people constantly seeking for love? How many men and women are in anguish daily because they have no love in their lives? The answer is surprisingly simple. Searching is simply a waste of time. We need to realize that in order to be loved we must first love. We must love simply for the sake of loving, meaning the true meaning, and expecting nothing back.

In order to achieve love, we must tell others about these findings. Extinguish the selfishness that is born into us. Refuse to be steered into that direction. Only hurt and dismay will follow. Love may be misused, but it is not too late to change that. If each of us is willing to change our focus from ourselves to others, only then will we understand the meaning of love, and only then will we be loved.