Why do people at my school overuse the word "love"

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The trouble is, when the word "love" is so overused, people don't know what real love is. They don't understand how it when someone truly feels love for another. If the other party decides he can't sustain the relationship for his own complex personal reasons and ends the relationship, the one who did not choose to end things may deem it best not to have another romantic relationship, ever. She may know that she already found the One, the love of her life, and if it didn't work, there's no point in trying to find anyone else, because she kows she can never love anyone else that way. Others are likely not to understand that, especially when the person making the decision to retire from the dating world is under thirty. They'll say, "You're young, you'll find someone else," because they don't understand what's been lost. It's especially galling if she's told by the one she loves so much that she should find someone else, because that indicates that he never loved her as much as she loved him. It's especially galling i he told her countless times just how much he loves her, and was eigning off his e-mails with the words "Love always, ______" (italics mine) the day before he told her that he's been mulling this over for a while, and has determined that their relationship is not likely to be sustainable over the long haul, and she should find someone else. Anyone who thinks that it should be so easy to move on in this situation clearly has no understanding of love. If you truly, profoundly love someone, and it doesn't work, you know that your loved one can never be replaced, so there's no point even trying. The fact that so few people understand this indicates that the vast majority of people have no clue what love is, most likely precisely because the word is so overused. The word "love" has lost all real meaning to most people, and that's a serious problem.

to divert - actually romantic means sappy chocolates, roses etc. But "Romantic" spelt with capital R refers to the era - late 18th century to 19th century when literature was of an expressive style that was then considered revolutionary. Oddly enough it's different from Expressionism although Romanticism is to express.

ditto

There must be some logic behind social behaviour, or else no one would understand it.
But maybe it is very difficult to understand with some forms of reasoning.
But if you put emotions in the reasoning it becomes much easier.
Although it does require some form of assuming.
I assume it makes people feel warm and fuzzy inside.
That is why they do it.
Although after a while they no longer do it for that reason, but it became a habit.
So there.
After a while, such things lose their significance.
Sometimes before the first time, sometimes it takes longer.

Because they don't know any better.

Actually, IMO the 'problem' is that so many people attach far too much 'meaning' to it. Anyone whose definition of love is some deep, eternally abiding, 'our-souls-intertwined' romantic bond, is in for a lifetime of heartache and disappointment, because that kind of emotion - though it does exist - is not abiding and eternal, it lasts for about the length of a sigh.

On the other hand, the genuine affection people feel for close friends and family lasts much longer and is a much more real, far more practical and ultimately more satisfying love.

Some languages have many different words for love, acknowledging the fact that it takes different forms and those types can run to varying depths. The fact that one word, used to cover a wide range of emotion, seems overused is simply a limitation of the English language.

I agree With really close friends, I don't see why it's wrong to say that you love them. You do love them, just because it's in a platonic way that doesn't change it.

On a side-note, the term "Platonic love" amuses me because sex was a part of Platon's friendship.

Love is too small a word with too many meanings to be used alone.
Since as others have said and I too know that
other labguages have more than one word for different kinds,
we should at least acknowledge that the one word alone is
insufficient and add enough words to overshadow that word
with the intended meaning.

Re:
"Anyone whose definition of love is some deep, eternally abiding, 'our-souls-intertwined' romantic bond, is in for a lifetime of heartache and disappointment, because that kind of emotion - though it does exist - is not abiding and eternal, it lasts for about the length of a sigh."

Deep, eternally abiding, souls-intertwined bond is an accurate description of how
I feel about "friends-for-life" so it is real and enduring, but it isn't anywhere near as
intense of a emotion as my youthful lonely yearning for such companionship.

That old feeling I still get when I hear Billy Joel sing Piano Man or
Nitty Gritty singing Mr. Bojangles. I think I associate the word (my definition of)
Bittersweet with that emotion, which is a sad yearning for a
different feeling which much more persistent in that context
than when a moment of the different feeling actually comes.
So at least in my experience, the lonely yearning emotion is
more intense than the emotional response to what inspires it.
IOW, sad lonely yearning is so intense I probably enjoyed
wallowing in it more than trying to satisfy it, because once satisfied,
it goes away. I suppose it can be called (as I experience it)
a "WONDERFUL PAIN". I can conjure it with the music that
also inspires it but don't really need to, because the fulfillment
of what inspires it (friends I love that I once didn't have) IS
GOOD, and I don't need intense emotion to persist in
something that is fulfilled. Baseline happiness for me is
contentment, with random moments of joy about current
nice situations as they arise. Pursuing BLISS is a background
process with some doubt as to how long it can be prolonged
without wiring and shocking the pleasure center of my brain.
Emotions are chemicals like drugs, and they wear off or
get gotten used to, and I suppose it is an addiction concept
to expect to Live HIGHLY BLISSFULLY ever after. Happily
ever after is a sufficient way to conclude a fairy tale..

I suppose two people who enjoy loving each other sexually could
prolong those intense feelings with Tantra or Kama Sutra if they wanted to.

This comment about (not) cheapening hugs to hug often just astounds me. Waiting until Easter to eat candy for breakfast makes it special, waiting until Christmas to open presents makes it special. Eating ice cream andcake makes a birthday special.

I am trying to communicate to you, HopeGrows, that is is my opinion that of course it cheapens hugs to hug often! Of course it cheapens love to say it all the time.

This makes me think that maybe I don't get out of a hug what you do, and maybe I don't even get what you do out of being told I am 'loved', either. Humm . . .

Merle

A song comes to mind.
Sweet - LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN
And I think (in a silly way) Does breathing cheapen life or air?

Wasn't it either Latin or Greek that had three different words for love? Something like that would be better implemented in English and other modern languages who lack such things.

agree.

Love, and in Greek, Latin, and other languages:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love

Valentine Michael Smith,
Did I ever say I was being rational or pragmatic? No. I also can't use the yellow paper at work and have to substitute the goldenrod or white paper for it. I also can't eat eggplant or okra because the texture just grosses me out, the mere whiff of either can send me gagging. Sometimes I come to a doorway and I physically can't make myself go in the door because it just doesn't feel right.
sorry, I just got this thing called Asperger's Syndrome that really messes with my head. As an old member here 'eddydog' once said "my brain has a mind of its own".

Merle

You mean agape, eros and philia?