What's the opposite of love?

[EyesOnThePrize]

Well, to me, the opposite of love isn't hate. To me, the opposite of love is apathy. I read the stories here of people who hate their ex for dumping them, or hate their ex for not listening, or hate their ex because they snored, or hate their ex because they couldn't keep a job, and I hear passion in these stories. Passion for someone still very dear to them. Passion because this important person disappointed them. And I hear about the ex who texts drunk or sends apology e-mails or blame e-mails or who flaunts a new love in front of the dumpee, or who wonders why you can't be friends or who drives by the house a 2 AM and I think these people have the passion, too. And I wonder, as I wonder in my failed relationship, how many of these people on both sides are both screaming internally "Why won't you just love me like I want to be loved? Why does this have to be so hard? Can't you see how much I care?" I believe if the passion and the love was gone, that these people would move on and never look back. And I know this happens, and I mourn a bit for every story of dead love that I read. Yet I see so many stories of people looking back. And I am inspired by these stories. Because there is a trick to turning that hate back into love. I haven't figured out that trick yet, because if I knew it, I'd be using it. I think that a big part of it is patience, and commitment and willingness to change and learn, and accepting responsibility. I think understanding is a huge part of it. I think it takes two to turn the hate back into love and I think that may be the most difficult part of the trick.

 

Some may agree with me, some may not. This is just my view on things. And my opinion plus $0.99 gets you something from the Value Menu at McDonalds.

[Litgirl01]

I don't even feel close to being qualified to answer this question. I like the idea about apathy being the opposite of love. I think that true love never dies whether or not the couple stays together or not. Sometimes people mistake obsession or infatuation for love. As my ex said, "If my feelings for you were genuine, I wouldn't have treated you this way." Hmm...there ya go. xx

[OnlyTime]

Indifference to me is the opposite of love.

Not enjoying,needing or requiring.

[EyesOnThePrize]

Indifference to me is the opposite of love.

Not enjoying,needing or requiring.

 

I think you're defining indifference the same way I'm defining apathy.

[pumpkinmoon]

If apathy is the opposite to love then the scummy people of the world are gonna have to grow another 2 knuckles

[flyingdodo]

I agree, I think apathy is the opposite of love. I am wondering how the girl I love and thought loved me at least at one time can now be so apethetic towards me.

[Optigan]

Every attitude/behaviour lacking love is the opposite of love, I think. To define the opposite of love more precisely, I would have to be able to define love first, which I'm not capable of.

 

The best I can do is get personal and "define" opposite of love as opposed to my idea of love, i.e. the way I love, which I'm not sure is THE love in the first place.

 

Namely, for me, love (the way I love and need to be loved) is consideration, tenderness, openheartedness and intellectual and physical engagement in other person's views, needs, actions, reactions etc. So the opposite of love is the lack of the aforementioned ingredients, which pretty much boils down to two things

 

1) dumbness

& 2) numbness.

 

From my personal experience, all the in-love-ness in the world cannot suffice if a person is dumb&numb toward the other person. 1) & 2) turns a person into a black hole when it comes to love, and there's absolutely nothing in the world you can do to make the in-lover be a lover to a lover - hence NC should be obligatory for all the ex-lovers.

 

If all I just wrote makes me seem like a confused, frustrated and somewhat silly individual, I guess that's because I am.

[lady00]

Another vote for "indifference."