True Love Or Infatuation Essay Research Paper

True Love or Infatuation

Many different types of love play an important role in the world today.

True love and infatuation coexist to make up love that can occur between a

man and a woman. Although true love and infatuation may appear similar on

the surface, they actually reside on opposite ends of the spectrum. Many

young people today have experienced infatuation, but only a select few have

actually experienced true love. The faster one learns to distinguish between

the two, the less likely one ends up making a big mistake. Infatuation may

last for a while and may pleasure and entertain while it lasts, but only true

love can last a lifetime.

Although people sometimes find it hard to distinguish between true

love and infatuation, a few major differences separate the two. First of all,

infatuation involves just a feeling; real love requires a commitment also.

Infatuation only allows for love of emotion. Real love, though, commands

love of devotion. Only the emotions are affected in infatuation, but real love

involves both emotions and will. Next, a person can ?fall into? infatuation,

but a person has to ?grow into? real love. For instance, when a guy sees a

girl so beautiful that his heart starts pounding every time he sees her, he

experiences infatuation. Even though he knows nothing about the girl, she

still attracts him.

Several things compose true love, a very special kind of love. It occurs

between two people and it grows stronger every day. Many older people will

say that a person will only experience true love once or maybe even twice in

a lifetime. On the other hand, many people will never experience true love. If

an individual asks any happily married adult, ?How will I know that I am in

love?,? about ninety-five percent of them will say, ?One will just know.?

Well, since I know I have never really experienced true love, I can only give a

few characteristics of true love. First of all, if a man loves a woman, he will

love, trust, and respect the woman as much as he loves, trusts, and respects

himself. He will also put her needs ahead of his own. The foundation of true

love should rest on the relationship of two people as a whole, not just their

outward appearance.

On the contrary, the inverse proves true for infatuation. Instead of

loving and trusting each other, one often wonders about the faithfulness of

the relationship. Sometimes he wonders if his partner really even cares about

him at all. Also, he always seems excited and eager when he dates this person

that he thinks he loves, but he may forget about her after a few days. People

that let infatuation drive their relationships always find little imperfections in

their spouses and make a big deal over them. When a person truly loves

someone, he accepts them and looks over their minor imperfections.

Infatuation is usually self-centered, short-lived, and when it ends, one usually

regrets it.

Infatuation may last for a while and may pleasure and entertain while it

lasts, but only true love can last a lifetime. One should always remember this

when he begins looking for a spouse. A person would never want to marry

anyone that only infatuates him because the marriage would end up in an

ongoing fight. People in marriages based on infatuation continually try to

make their spouses into what they want. One should also realize that

marriage doesn?t change people. More than likely, if a couple fights a good

bit now, they will also fight a good bit after they get married. Many

marriages that people enter into planning to change their spouse end in

divorce. ?Getting a divorce? has become all too popular among today?s

society. I don?t like to see people getting a divorce because it not only affects

the couple, it also affects their families and their children. I personally

believe that when a couple says, ?I do,? they should stay in that marriage

?until death do them part.?