A spark, a feeling, a choice: What is love?

Many of us are looking for the same thing—love, connection, the kind of bond that doesn’t fade with time. Yet, as life has shown, love is not that simple. It arrives unexpectedly, sometimes in a single glance, sometimes in the slow unfolding of emotions, sometimes in a quiet moment of realisation. But is love a flash, an emotion, or a choice?

It begins with a spark.

A glance across a crowded room, the sound of a voice that lingers a second too long, the accidental brush of fingertips that feels like more than just a touch. There is a sudden, unexplainable pull, a force that transcends logic and reason. It is in that moment, in that first meeting of souls, that love often plants its first fragile seed.

Some say love is fate, that it is written long before we take our first breath. Others say it is mere chance, a collision of lives at the right place, at the right time. But no matter how it begins, love almost always starts with something fleeting—a flash, a feeling, a moment of magic that makes you stop in your tracks.

But a spark alone is not enough.

A fire ignites, but what keeps it burning? That is where emotions take root, deepening into something more profound. Love, then, is found in the whispered conversations at midnight, in the way two people laugh together over something no one else would understand. It is the unspoken understanding that grows between them, the comfort of knowing that in an unpredictable world, here is one thing they can trust.

Emotions make love feel limitless. They are what make the heart race at the thought of seeing someone again, what make their absence feel like an ache. They turn ordinary moments into sacred ones—watching a movie together on a lazy Sunday, sharing stories about childhood fears, the way a name sounds different when spoken by the person you love.

But emotions alone are not enough.

Because emotions change. The passion that once burnt bright can dim; the butterflies in the stomach can settle. Love, if it is to survive, must become something more than fleeting excitement. It must become a choice.

And here is where love becomes the most beautiful, the most real.

It is in choosing someone, not just on the easy days when the world is bright and their laughter is music to your ears, but on the hard days when everything feels heavy. It is in choosing them when you are angry, when life gets complicated, when doubts creep in.

Love is a choice when their flaws become clearer, when they are no longer the perfect person you once imagined but simply human—just like you. It is in choosing to stay, to forgive, to grow together, to walk through the storms instead of seeking shelter elsewhere.

Because love, true love, is not just about how someone makes you feel. It is about what you decide to build together, over time, through every change, every trial, every quiet morning and every sleepless night.

And perhaps that is why love is so rare, so difficult, so precious.

Because in a world that teaches us to chase passion and perfection, love asks us to choose something deeper. To stand beside someone even when the fire is low, even when life is uncertain. To say, “You are my person, not because you are perfect, not because every day is easy, but because I choose you—again and again.”

And in the end, when everything else fades, love remains. Not the butterflies, not the excitement of the beginning, but the quiet, steady presence of a heart that has chosen yours a thousand times over.

Perhaps love is not just a feeling. Perhaps it is not just a fleeting moment of passion. Perhaps love is waking up next to the same person, day after day, through joy and sorrow, through laughter and tears, and knowing, deep in your bones—

“Even if I could choose again, I would still choose you.”

With Love and Respect,

Burak Anaturk.

Burak Anaturk is a professional civil engineer. He focuses on sharing lessons from his life experiences, exploring diverse perspectives, and discussing personal development topics.
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