Since Valentine’s Day is tomorrow, I’m thinking about love. In particular, I’m thinking about the phrase “I love you.” Why is it so hard to say “I love you”? In so many of my favorite TV shows (Friends, Gilmore Girls, The Nanny, Ugly Betty to name a few), it’s always so difficult for people (almost always the guy, except in Gilmore Girls) to say “I love you” to the person they care about the most.
I’ve never had a problem saying “I love you” to people I truly feel that I love. So far, I’ve only felt such strong feelings for friends and crushes, but I’m certain that I wouldn’t feel any hesitation in expressing my feelings to a boyfriend or potential boyfriend. Unless, of course, the phrase somehow would scare him off. But in that case, would I really want a boy who is scared off when I express my feelings?
Some people might think that the phrase “I love you” means less somehow if you say it too often. I disagree. If the feeling behind every “I love you” is sincere, then it shouldn’t lose strength no matter how often it’s said. If someone blindly says “I love you” without truly feeling any love, then the phrase is meaningless, even if said only once.
I guess this discussion brings up the whole debate over what ”love” is and what does “I love you” really mean. Honestly, I can’t answer those questions. I don’t know what ”love” means to other people, and I don’t even know what it really means to me. But when I say “I love you” to someone, you can bet there’s a lot of love behind it, whatever “love” means.
