which is more important to love or to be loved?

Question

why ?

Answer 1

Any stoic will tell you that getting other people to love you is an impossible task. No matter how much you try, you cannot MAKE someone feel one thing or another. You may influence their decision, but you cannot determine it. A person could (and sometimes does) spend their entire lives trying to get someone to love them and fail.

Loving something else, however, IS entirely in your control. Just as you cannot force others' emotions, neither can they force yours. Loving something entails a certain risk, but it also has the potential for reward. It's certainly a rather popular pastime, both reciprocally and otherwise.

Who or what you love and how is thus a vastly more important consideration than who or what loves you. People who get this backwards spend a lot of time and effort producing very little result, and often feeling empty in the end. Those who focus on loving others seldom find themselves at a loss for it.

Peace.

Answer 2

The most important thing is to love yourself ...without that you cannot realize love or give love. That may sound like an old cliche but it is a proven fact. Of course when we start thinking about the definition of love we get into an unending list. So I would ask myself...what is love to me? After deciding what that is, follow all the other advice and give before you can receive.

Answer 3

It is a great question and requires a discussion with the asker in order to be answered.
But for know, to love is more important than to be loved.For knowing the reason one needs to love and feel the joy it brings, the pain it causes, the hope it gives, the despair it begets, and many many more things.
It takes u near others, develops insight, intellect, makes u stronger at faith, teaches u to overcome almost anything, makes u enjoy the favor of whom u love, makes u a leader, a follower...........
I'll not get tired writing about it but it would make no difference to u unless u love u self.
Being loved would require u to love first as everybody says but believe me when u r in love u hardly have any time to think about it.

Answer 4

Good on you Mrs V. At least you answered the question.

Unlike most others who seemed to find the question uncomfortable.

Assuming the question implies that a relationship already exists then...
Of course it's nice to be in a relationship where there is reciprical loving, but if it only goes one way then the obvious answer is to love.
It might slightly irk you that the person you value most in the world considers you to be a comfortable piece of furniture that would be a bit of an inconvenience to lose.
But if you actually possess the entity you cherish most above absolutely everything else, then why complain? So your ego is ruffled a little bit. Get over it.

Answer 5

To be loved because you know that someone appreciates you... but it's also important to love.

Answer 6

Both are important. To love and be loved is the greatest joy in Earth.

Answer 7

You can't be truly loved unless you love first. if you look for love it will be in all the wrong places because all the things in the world that offer you love are not real. The truly mature person knows that one gets by giving without any selfish motive.

Answer 8

As noted, somewhat circuitously, it depends on one's age.

A toddler's development depends greatly upon the love showered upon her by those entrusted with her care. "To be loved" represents an essential ingredient at this stage in life.

As we mature and befriend others, our ability to love often begets a similar emotion and leads to lasting relationships. Of course, this is not always the case, but then again, universality is so hard to come by!

Then, as we grow into our so-called Golden Years and our ability to care for ourselves is once again limited by our physical capabilities, it likely becomes equally important to love and (as fruit of years of compassion) to be loved unconditionally by those closest to us.

Answer 9

You will never know how important to love is unless you are loved first.

Good luck!

Answer 10

Love is an active principal. To Love is to actively participate in the well-being and happiness of another living being. God is Love, and He is the active principal of all existence. Being loved is passive. It is the acceptance of the active principal. While both Loving and Being Loved have the same source, Loving is causitive, and Being Loved is effect. In other words, Loving is the cause of Being Loved. Being Loved is the reciprocal effect of Loving. Therefore, to Love is more important, because you cannot be loved without it. A mother loves her child, and then she is loved by the child. Her example is the active principal, and the child loves her in reciprocation.

Also, To Love is not quantifiable. It is endless and objective. Being loved is subjective. You may love me with all your heart, but I may not think you love me at all. It is subjective to my perspective.