Love is...

  Love, Love. Love.

 Clearly, a man alone cannot fulfill the purpose he is meant to achieve. Humans are social beings and even though one would like to believe otherwise, we are strong when unified - more so when the ones we unite with have the same or similar ideals, drive or purpose.

Problem is, even then, we do not grasp what love is.

Perhaps the ideals and mannerisms that have been imprinted within us by the societies that have reared us, have let us to accept love in the context "if you do this for me, I will do that for you". This ideal is solely based on the principles governing contracts, where there must be something one party gains and the other party must too gain or be reimbursed. Through this "practice", what results is the ideal that obligation, is an indicator of love.

But, how can something so sacred, so surreal - the one thing that human beings have long hungered for, desired for; be a product of obligation. Surely if you are obliged then it can't be love. Shouldn't love be out of free will?

Romans 5 speaks of how the lord demonstrated love to us through HIS sacrifice.
The urban dictionary says, "Love is the greatest gift God ever gave man".
Other dictionaries all make love to be something vague that is often a reference to sexual desires.

1 John 3:18 states that love is not in word or tongue, but instead in deed and truth.
Now, now... What do Deed and Truth curtail? We all recognize their separate significance but fail to make perception of their strong link. A deed is an action yes but, your actions should in all honesty be of love, in other words, your actions should be louder and clearer than what you could ever say thus, these actions are of truth. The truth with regards to who you are(Identity), what you stand for (Purpose) and the depth of you (Degree of Sacrifice).
Remember this!

1 John 4 v 7, 18 states that we should love each other as we are beloved, and that God, himself, is love. In layman's terms love should stir the soul and is given freely, simply put, love is unconditional. We are beloved without any expectation, condition nor obligation, thus when you love, you spread this divine love you feel throughout your world. Further on this scripture states that love casts out fear. When you love, you have no worries and act fearlessly. Fear can only arise where favour (approval) is sought but love just acts irrespective of feelings, convictions and understandings.
Remember this.

Remember the earlier explanation of love being in deed and truth as well as what it means to be beloved and how love casts out fear.

Basically love is in actions which are truthful, love is unconditional and its actions are without fear.

Society suggests that with love one has expectations, conditions and obligations but, if that were so, then love itself is tainted. Tainted because your actions and truth are a prerequisite and thus filled with fear and are conditioned. Love cannot be out of fear, it is absurd to love what your fear.

Love encompasses a desire or need to please, at the expense of self..

So yes... Love is self sacrifice to give joy to someone else.Sacrifice entails actions out of own free will without duress (force). Force can be physical or emotional (psychological) thus, suggestion also forms part of duress. Duress cannot yield sacrifice and therefore, where there is force there is no love.

Love brings a joy, a peace, a feeling  of bliss that is surreal. Love is a feeling that lights up your face, your world and fills that atmosphere with an inexplicable aura that brings about happiness.