Remember when love was wearing your boyfriend’s leather jacket? Remember when love meant getting the butterflies every time he smiled? Remember when love meant getting the courage to ask her on a date? Remember when love was sentimental?  The word “love” doesn’t mean much anymore—not to most.

Love’s meaning has changed to “like” over the years.  Not only are we saying love out of habit, but we have begun to text it, “facebook” it, and “tweet” it. Maybe technology is to blame. I like this shirt, I like this movie, I like you . . .

While many individuals think they are in love, I contend that they are really in “like.” This generation has taken one of the most powerful words and turned it into nothing more than a form of “like.”  We say we love one another, but do we really mean it for its true value?

I look at friends who have completely given themselves away to a boy that makes them “weak in the knees,” and they automatically dub it as “love.” As an outside observer, it can be extremely frustrating for the mere fact that people have taken this “love” and made it a first priority. What about school, grades, and family relationships? They neglect quality time with family, grades suffer, and extracurricular activities are no longer receiving the time they deserve.  I wonder, is it worth it? Can one simple, four letter word change a person that dramatically?

From love to like,  I believe love, in general, is just one example of how our generation is changing.  Granted, most of the blame is on pre-teens and teens, but sometimes adults are to blame as well.  Adults have set a trend that are reflected now by the new era.  As adults, they have allowed the younger generation to think it is okay to use this word not by its true value. Instead of letting this happen, maybe the adults would have been smart enough to put the kibosh on the improper use of the word love.

So, how do you know when you actually experience  a feeling of pure love, now that the definition has changed to most people?I don’t think you can anymore. I am convinced love is a word that no one will truly ever know the true meaning.  It is just one of life’s perfect imperfections.

For now, the new use of this word is the new trend that the future has brought to us. In our world, new trends are changing constantly, and maybe this new way of saying what used to be, is just setting in. Whether we like it or not, we must learn to embrace the change of love and the feelings that come along for the ride.