Skeptics maintain the fact that a person cannot possibly be “in love” with another person unless they?ve known that person for a certain period of time. But how can someone be adamant about such a statement?s factual significance until they?ve found that “special someone?”Love is certainly a complex and ambiguous subject. Webster?s defines love as “a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness.”
With that said, one can love a parent, a sibling, a pet; one can also love a movie, a song, a book; one can love something that isn?t even visible: God, air, or a certain smell. If someone can love something that?s invisible, why, then, can one not love a person they?ve only just met? At least the person is physically present.
I believe there?s an indescribable feeling that one obtains from a close relationship formed with another human being. We are proven to be natural bond-seekers; from birth, we work endlessly to form relationships to make us feel wanted, needed, and appreciated. In a sense, we love all human beings because we strive for universal acceptance.
Surely there are people out there who are said to be incapable of loving another person; however, they are never devoid of the effects of love, for other people may still love them. Love still touches them in one way or another.
The question is: “Can one ?love? another person after just a few weeks of relationship formation?” I would answer: “It most certainly is possible.”
Judging from my own experiences, it?s evident that individuals fall fast for one another; this emotional event may perpetuate the sentiment of those skeptics, for they equate fast love as not “real” love for the other person.
But falling too fast isn?t such a bad thing. Loving another person isn?t a crime; it shouldn?t be looked down upon. There?s nothing grotesque, wrong, or unnatural about loving another person.
Although the meaning of love is arguable, it is a universal feeling that everyone at some point in their life experiences. Whether it is a few months into a relationship, a few weeks, or even a few days, it is no more love for the couple of two weeks than it is for the couple of two years; it?s the same “love” — the same universal feeling of acceptance, comfort, security, and adoration.
What these skeptics are in search of is a landmark point in a relationship where it?s kosher for people to rightly say to one another, “I love you.” For some, this may be as late as the couple?s marriage vows; for others, it could be a spur-of-themoment declaration. But what?s really important is the couple?s feelings toward loving one another.
If a person is fortunate enough to find a person who knows how to treat a loved one with genuine, unconditional love and affection, and who makes you happier than you ever can remember being then that person should feel privileged to say those three words to their partner. There should be no fear of love etiquette holding them back.
Erin Joyce is a senior majoring in communication studies.