Why do humans need Love?
Posted: Saturday, May 19, 2007
by LeahG Artist
Cartoon & Illustration Services
Why do we need Love and would we die without it?
Going back to basics and the animal kingdom:
Not all animals do 'love'.
But you will find those that appear to do so (nurturing, grooming, playfulness)
are ones that are required to raise offspring and/or live in communities.
If a mother did not 'love' her helpless baby it would die, as she would not be motivated to care for it.
If a female did not love her male, she would not cater to his needs and he would abandon her.
If a species which needed to live as a community did not allow this 'love' to extend beyond the immediate family, they would not look after each other but would be warring with each other.
Species not requiring these things do not demonstrate any 'loving' characteristics, ie reptiles. They do not care for their young or live in communities.
Love is a survival neccessity for certain species so YES we are programmed to give it, to receive it and we may indeed die without it.
What are your thoughts on the need for love?
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LeahG Artist and Designer
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
Leah left the retail and health management world a few years ago to become a freelance writer and artist. She now enjoys creating funky vibrant cartoons and illsutrations for websites, promotional materials and as gifts. Leah would love to illustrate her own children's books in the future. Presently she is creating cartoon and cartoon mascots for business clients.
Visit LeahG's Cartoon and Illustration Services website here for updates and latest art work.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)I think that you are suggesting that without 'love' there is only hate, which is not the case. Indifference among humans and animals is alive and well. Animals perform these acts because they, like us, are 'programmed' to ensure the survival of the species, more specifically of their own line. This isn't love, and I don't think for a second that anyone would die without love (as opposed to survival instincts).
I am not saying without love there is only hate, not at all. I also agree that 'love' is a survival instinct- pretty sure that's what I was writing about, but I'll re-read for clarity. :) Humans wouldn't die without love in the modern world as we PAY people to be caretakers, also we are a social creature so in primitive times I suspect that if one female neglected her child another would step in. Love is shared in social species, hence theya re 'social' as without it we would not be. Thanks for your comments.
Hey CB, I do write more than poems however I do have another poem relating to the issue of love if you care to check it out. The title is "Love is indeed a true obligation"
I think we should be more realistic rother poetic in our speeches. what we are in nowadays is merely violence and distruction with all their non-human pictures
Hi Bob, your reality is not mine. There is no violence and destruction where I am. I know that there is in other parts of the world, but even there the women still raise their children rather than abandoning them. Love is a survival mechanism. Why humans seek to destroy each other (in some cases) is another form of survival. The tribes are too large, the food is too little, hence for one tribe to survive, they go into battle with the other. Of course this is a gross simplification but the message is the same -Survival.
People need love, and they will infact die without it. Love is taking the time to care for someone, something. You don't NEED to do jack for anyone, but you do it out of love. Example taking care of your baby. In reality, there is no rule saying you have to take care of it. Laws are created by man, which means they can be created by any hobo off the streat. God there is no real proof and once again man was the one who wrote the bible. In end you do indeed take care of your baby, not because you HAVE to, because you could easily give it away. But you take care of it because you LOVE what you created and all the acts of you taking care of the child is acts of love. By the way, getting away to say "oh but if you gave it away someone else would take care of it, so it wouldn't die.." well exactly, someone took in a homeless baby out of love. Once again there was nothing forcing them to take care of the child.
Humans need to give and receive unselfish love, it is the spiritual path to the greatest gift of life to know onself, know and share our inner most thoughts and failings and to know God. Love is neccessary to sustain and nurture any offspring, it may not be an ingredient in the sexual act but if not there at this time, all life will fail in the aftermath of selfish lust. Life becomes an existence withou love, it is respect, support, unselfish and caring for another human being, it is the act of self forgetting and knowing and feeling that the small amount given out is returned 1000 fold. Love is simple, humans are complicated and are driven by many character flaws, the overaction of any of these can quench love forever. Love sees no faults, love makes one want to become a better human without coercion. Love is happy and playful, it is never selfish. Love is painful and confusing, it binds us together, love is the greatest gift of all.hay Bryan thanks allot for the way you think of love you really mad me believe in it again i went to google and searched ( why do we need love ) and it got me strat to your comment i loved and appreciated it allot any how i wish you the best love life ever it is great to love and be love by a some one.
Perharps it would be beneficial to look into the experiments performed by Dr. Harry Harlow. Regardless of what one may feel about animal cruelty and the like(I'm strongly against it), the results of his investigations are quite interesting. Use an internet search engine and search for "Pit of despair" and follow the links to the pages about Dr. Harlow.
Obviously what Dr. Harlow did was most questionable to say the least. Yet despite my objections to his methods of experimentation, I am quite intrigued by his conclusions. His work has provided me with much food for thought and many answers as to why I am the way I am.Yes I am familiar with these experiments and Dr Harlow.
Thank you.I am very pleased to hear from you. I have been searching for answers on the topic on love and happiness. You said that if there is a need to be loved it is becuase it is a survivul mechanism. And if this is true it is good. Becuese many people belive that to be loved means to be happy. They depend on others to love them on external happiness. And thus they create suffering. When someone loves them thay are happy and when the love is gone they get depressed. Our true need is to love and be free not to be loved. I was afraid of this becuese if there is a need to be loved in order for us to be happy then we are bound to suffer if the outside love is gone..I hope this makes sence
I really appreciate the author to write this article. For me, The only Love is enough for humans. But its not a compulsory thing to love only humans. The main thing is feeling. A human can only get feel and express feel the way you want. Thats the reason we love human than animals. There are some persons who love animals too. If you love animals better, you can love human more better.
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