text | anonymous

[penpoint]

I have a question. Consider it a bit of a survey or questionnaire. I'm curious. I want to remain anonymous, so that people feel like they can safely remain anonymous, as well.

What does love mean to you here? What did it mean to you at home? Is it different for both?

Relationships are seemingly more complicated here than they would be at most of our homes. I was wondering if others felt the same.

How are you managing it here in a place where it does seem more complicated? Are you doing the same things you would have done if you were at home?

Thank you for your time.

Comments

un: 1stQadrMargaFan

[wearingguess]

Love is
Having fun and being happy when you're together with someone, and wanting to be with them for as long as you can
And doing what you can to make them happy, because that makes you happy, too
Wanting to get to know more and more about them, and wanting to share things about yourself, too,
And wanting to be close to them.
There is no difference between what it means to me here or at home.

permanon

[penpoint]

That's lucky for you, I think. I don't know if it is quite the same here to me, as it would have been at home.

[wearingguess]

What does luck have to do with it?

[penpoint]

It's lucky that this place hasn't altered your perception of love.

[wearingguess]

Ah, I see. I suppose that is
Reasonably lucky.
Why should it have, though?

[penpoint]

Culturally, we look at things like love, romance, and intimacy very different at home than we would here.

There's a lot less inhibitions here. It's not bad, just very different. I'd think things like that can impact how people feel about it.

[wearingguess]

Has that impacted how you feel about it?

[penpoint]

Probably without realizing it. I'm not particularly traditional, but there's just some things that stick with you.

Certainly, this place has just as likely impacted how I view things, too.

[wearingguess]

So you might have come to view love in a different way since your arrival here, but are not certain?

[penpoint]

I feel like to view it differently, I would have had to view it at all before arriving here. I mean, I suppose that is pretty different.

[wearingguess]

Then you had
No concept of love prior to your arrival?

[penpoint]

Not for me individually. And honestly, I wouldn't mind returning to that.

[wearingguess]

Really?? Why?
Is the love you have come to experience here unpleasant somehow?

[penpoint]

It just wasn't something I was thinking I'd add to my list of things I'd have to try and deal with while dealing with the rest of the things in this place.

The feeling itself isn't wholly unpleasant and I'm glad it is for who it is for, but if I could have stopped it from happening, I would have.

[wearingguess]

I still cannot quite understand. What makes it so troublesome for you? I suppose it can certainly complicate things that were formerly very simple, but

Well, as I said, I cannot quite understand.

[penpoint]

It's troublesome because it's not something I ever wanted or needed. It just happened.

[wearingguess]

Is that really a problem? That just means it was unexpected. If the server at a restaurant brought me an extra dessert for free, I don't think I would consider it particularly troublesome.

[penpoint]

It's more if I ordered dessert and I got brought a slice of pizza or something. It's not something I ever asked for or wanted to experience.

[wearingguess]

Again, that is only unexpected, not unwelcome. Unless you dislike pizza, of course.
Are you absolutely certain the feeling causing you such consternation is indeed love?

[penpoint]

Yes.

Uninvited, maybe.

[wearingguess]

In that case, you had better start figuring out how to embrace it, don't you think? I cannot imagine that whoever you love would appreciate hearing that your feelings for them are an unwanted slice of pizza you wish you could have avoided.

[penpoint]

I'm well past embracing it, and into dealing with it. Besides, I'm not going to turn down pizza even if I didn't order it.

[wearingguess]

I disagree that "dealing" with it is well past "embracing" it! That still makes it sound as though you are handling it in a begrudging manner. You need to acknowledge how much better your world is because the person you love is a part of it. You ought to disavow your foolish past self who would have wished to avoid growing to love someone and admit that your reluctance was a result of tragic ignorance! I recommend that you go find the person you love right now and thank them from the bottom of your heart for showing you how much more there is to a life with pizza in it!

[penpoint]

I disagree that it is begrudging, and if I had felt it appropriate, this already would have happened. But it isn't right now, and who knows when it will be.

[wearingguess]

Then it seems we must disagree to agree on that point.


Oh
So then
They don't know that you love them?