The word “love” holds different meanings as people learn in the various educational stages of their lives. Most have been in love or felt loved; however, rarely do individuals question the sense of love. They just sit and think that any feeling of compassion is actual affection.  Reading The Symposium by Plato, I discovered that there are different views of love.

As evidenced in the speech, Socrates believes that love is of something that is desired. As such, love is seeking something that is not possessed by an individual. Relating the philosopher’s response to his conversation with Diotima, he further adds that love is seeking something that is extremely good and beautiful. According to my analysis of the speech, the beauty here does not refer to the physical appearance of an individual or the common beauty that is shared, but rather the beauty of the soul. I am convinced by Socrates’ reasoning of love that when looking for a soul mate one ought to focus on the inner beauty to obtain their desire, namely love.

Aristotle’s reasoning on the qualities of love perceives the concept as an automatic and attractive occurrence. However, Socrates manages to convince him to admit that love is a certain desire for something that is missing. His argument that love is happiness convinces me that there a possibility of building a happy relationship based on love. Based on these communications, I now believe that love is a desire that cannot be evaded.

People will always desire things that they do not have; as such, they will always look for love. I, however, learned that in the search process, it is important to look for something beautiful that can lead to the development of a happy and loving relationship. Love is in existence, and continuous seeking for the same promotes happiness.