Carl, with thousands of balloons attached to his home, struggled through vicious dogs and the wilderness as he made his way to Paradise Falls, hoping to achieve a lifelong dream he shared with his deceased wife Ellie. Belle fought against people in her town to support a cold, hideous beast, standing up for him even if it meant losing a place in her neighbors’ hearts. Ariel sacrificed her relationship with her father and home in the sea to be with the man of her dreams, a human on land. Disney films showed us love-- or did they?

People constantly seek deep connections with others. We become attracted to someone, obsess over the smallest things he/she does, face rejection and have our hearts broken, and then we fall into the same cycle, or as one may say, we fall back in love. Amidst the emptiness and confusion we face as we struggle to find our one companion, we wonder, “Why is true love so hard to find?” As human beings with natural insecurities, we tend to blame ourselves and our quirks for our inability to keep relationships lasting, but perhaps the core of our conflict lies in the way we manipulate the definition of love as a society. 

There are multiple types of love individuals claim to experience. There is vicarious love, in which people declare their love for certain sports teams or television shows, sensory love, for example, love for certain foods or music that are pleasant to the five senses, and romantic love, for a spouse or partner, just to name a few. The various forms of love we claim to feel, however, indicate a bigger issue in the way we express our emotions. Our immediate response to trivial items or fleeting moments of satisfaction shows our inability to describe what it is we are actually feeling. By throwing in the word “love,” we build our reliance on the way it holds a certain, pre-established definition, using it as a crutch and saving us from figuring out and explaining our true emotions.

The constant use of “love” also demonstrates a lack of self-assurance in individuals today. We feel pressured by society to say the words “I love you” before we’re truly ready, believing the only way to really love someone is to directly state it. The feeling of obligation to declare one’s love for someone else highlights our insecurity in a place, where, if we don’t use the word “love,” we don’t truly care for that person. Love, by definition, is supposed to be a strong feeling of attachment to someone; however, with people throwing in the word solely to satisfy the idea that love is only expressed if spoken, the meaning is lost. It seems instead of loving those we say the words to, we love the idea of society accepting us.

The word “love” is one of value that brings deep feelings of warmth and endearment. It is supposed to be one that holds special meaning and positive reinforcement. Unfortunatel, we as a whole society have abused the term to the point where instead of putting thought into it, we use the word instinctively to describe any slight feelings of pleasure we experience. People were taught at a young age to avoid overusing strong words such as “hate,” so why has it been acceptable to toss around the word “love” conventionally? Individuals often feel frustrated in their efforts to create lasting relationships with others. Perhaps if we were more honest to ourselves and figured out what it truly is that brings us fondness and attachment, we would have more luck finding true love.