Desire and love might come across as being closely related but there is a difference between the two. And that difference, if not dealt with correctly, can ruin relationships. Desire and love are not the same. Simply put, to love is to have and to desire is to want.
Does Desire Mean To Love?
Want. Desire makes you focus on taking or receiving what you want rather than giving. The feeling of desire may not always be conscious. It might take you some time to realize that what you’re feeling is not love.
What is the difference between love and desire?
- When you love someone, you care for them, you take responsibility for your relationship but desire? It just leaves an emptiness on both sides. Desire along with love is much more special than desire alone. When you’re feeling a strong desire for someone, you focus on freedom, freedom of just receiving instead of giving. But when in love, you will find yourself giving more than receiving.
- When you love someone, you understand that they have flaws and you gladly accept them. Just like you have your own flaws. You’re in love with your partner’s personality. You love them for who they are. You’re not just attracted to how he or she looks, but that person as a whole means a lot to you. But a feeling of desire is often just associated with the physical or emotional aspects. You don’t really tell yourself that your partner is beautiful inside out because you only see what’s on the outside.
- If you love someone, you consider your partner’s happiness and not just your own. You try to make him or her happy. But remember, it is equally important to not lose yourself in the process of making your loved one happy. Desire makes you put yourself at first. You don’t really care about your partner’s happiness as long as you’re content with what you have.
- When you’re in love, you’re not scared of being judged. You don’t have to change yourself in order to be liked by your partner. If your partner is not in love with who you truly are, then it is not loved. But in desire, you often do not open up, scared that your partner might stop being in love with you. Love doesn’t just stop one day. It is a process. Love happens when two people understand, trust, and accept each other.
- When you’re in love, you and your partner support each other and lift up each other’s spirits. It gives you happiness and peace of mind. Desire, on the other hand, can only provide temporary happiness. That is, when desire fades off, love doesn’t matter anymore.
- Enjoying each other’s company, a strong bond of friendship, and the feeling of companionship can be found when you’re in love. Desire focuses more on the physical and emotional aspects. The relationship becomes unbalanced if what you’re feeling is the desire and not love.
But mistake me not, knowing that someone wants you can make you feel pretty amazing. But what if that feeling is just temporary? When in love, you want your loved one (which is what desire is) but you do a lot of additional stuff too: you care for your loved one, you make him happy, you celebrate your relationship and you remain in love with who they are.
Though desire, not a negative term, it is best when this feeling of desire is associated with love. And if you’re worried about the love-desire balance in your relationship, do not fret. You’re not alone. All those adorable Instagram worthy couple photos don’t necessarily mean that their love is pure. But there is one important thing you have to do though: Retrospect. Think about what is going wrong in your relationship. Is it on your part or your partner’s? Or are both of you going through a difficult phase in your relationship?
Communicate what you feel with your partner. It is imperative that both of you know what is going on in your minds. That will make things a lot smoother and easier in a relationship. Solving problems together brings a lot of perks. You feel like you’re a team, you feel secure and get a sense of hope that you can find a solution no matter what the problem is.