"What's love got to do with it"

Tina Turner released “what does love have to do with it” in 1984. This title asks a rather important question that seems to have gone begging. But perhaps this lack of answer points to something more interesting is this question unanswered because we no longer know what the word love means or that we no longer care?

As we know the very obvious answer to the titled question is everything, yet ….. This result causes us to return us to the more interesting questions. First do we know what the word love means? This word has a historically long and somewhat varied answer.

 Noun

1a(1): strong affection for another

(2): attraction based on sexual desire 

(3): affection based on admiration

3a: the object of attachment, devotion, or admiration

b(1): a beloved person : DARLING —often used as a term of endearment

(2)British —used as an informal term of address

4a: unselfish loyal and benevolent

(1): the fatherly concern of God for humankind

(2): brotherly concern for others

b: a person's adoration of God

5: a god (such as Cupid or Eros)

6: an amorous episode 

7: the sexual embrace 

8: a score of zero (as in tennis)

 Verb

transitive verb

1: to hold dear: CHERISH

2a: to feel a lover's passion, devotion, or tenderness for

2b CARESS

3: to like or desire actively 

4: to thrive in

intransitive verb

: To feel affection or experience desire

As we can see from this short grab from Merriam-Webster that this word we call love is varied in understandings. In fact as you read this list I expect you added at least one understanding of your own. So the question of what does this word love mean might have to be changed to what does the word love mean to you. But then does that not change the very nature of the question? You see we love our mothers but we also love the touch of our lovers caress. Perhaps Tina Turner was saying more than she was given credit.

Love is not just a word it is no longer just a concept or an emotion it has become an unidentifiable catch word. And as it has become this catch word it has lost some of what it originally meant. Did not love originally mean sacrifice? Was there not locked into this amazing word a very strong understanding that you were willing to give up of yourself in order to ensure the good of the one you loved?

What does love have to do with it? Indeed the answer is everything.