I hate "love"

Despite what I'm saying in the title, do not take it wrong. Read the rest of the post to find out what I do mean.

Love. Love love love. I'm not a very big fan of this word, I actually kind of despise its use in the English language. I know I'm not the only one that dislikes it either; many don't like "love" because it has a certain ambiguity to it, a word that people can hear and completely miss the meaning that the author or speaker was aiming for.

I firmly believe in what C.S. Lewis said in his work, "The Four Loves." To summarize, he described the four loves this way (thank you TV Tropes for this)

• Storge (Affection/Family) - This is fondness through familiarity, especially among family members or people who have otherwise found themselves together by chance.
• Philia (Friendship) - Friendship is a strong bond existing between people who share a common interest or activity. This includes what Lewis calls companionship; that is gregariousness of the kind which is found in a Good Guy Bar or Local Hangout; as well as friendship proper which is between Heterosexual Life-Partners, Platonic Life Partners and the like but often starts as companionship.
• Eros (Romance) - This is love in the sense of 'being in love'. (This is distinct from sexuality.) This kind of love longs for emotional connection with the other person. According to C.S. Lewis, sexuality is called "Venus." It can be part of "Eros," but on its own, it is not one of the loves, just desire (not to be confused with Lust which is this desire expressed in a sinful way).
• Agape (Unconditional Love) - This is the love that brings forth caring regardless of circumstance. The essence of agape love is self-sacrifice. It is also a decision, not fueled by pure emotions (theoretically). However, emotions such as the other three loves can provide a "booster rocket" into agape. Note that true agape is never self-destructive; it is not the willingness to sacrifice oneself that, say, someone with a Guilt Complex would have. It builds the soul, and, like the other types, fosters emotional health and self-confidence. It's difficult to express the differences between a Martyr Without a Cause and someone who's accepted agape love into their heart, but they exist; one key distinction is that someone might love a vile monster even while actively opposing him/her, even to the point of a Mercy Kill, like a mother might love a son that passed the Moral Event Horizon a long, long time ago and needs to be put down. Agape love need not always be spiritual, but it is often based in spirituality. 

 Alrighty, that's a mouthful. Also, for a disclaimer, I'm not a huge fan of TV Tropes (especially with how it's been lately), but I still think they're a great source for information on various tropes and even books, movies, and televisions. Also a great time waster.

But this is why I'm not a fan of the word Love. It is so ambiguous, so open that many interpret it differently every time it's said. If I said I loved one of my friends, would I mean I actually love them in such a way that I wanted to romance them? Nah, that's not what I'd want at all minus maybe a few.

This also brings up another subject I always thought was strange: Kissing. Now, I'm no stranger to this, it's a practice within my family, and I had plenty experience with my ex, but I never saw kissing as "love", that is, romantic, but rather just an affectionate gesture. Just like how in various countries it is a method for greeting friends and family alike, with different customs for the various genders. I'm not saying french kiss all your family and friends, just a peck is fine enough.

But at the same time, here in the USA, I hear plenty of times that many families do not practice it. They fear messing with their children's sexuality, and it's somewhat taboo, with people thinking that the gesture automatically associates with romance. Just like "love," people can take it the wrong way. It's weird just how defensive and strange everyone is about it. Hell, in most (and by most I mean ones for younger audiences) movies, a kiss is only seen at the end or something between the movie's official couple.

All I'm saying, society really doesn't seem to understand "love" itself. It might just be the baby boomers messing up things yet again and not knowing how to deal with any of this, but I feel like we ought to start treating "love" differently. Perhaps new words are in order (English is a constantly changing English, ESPECIALLY in America, so why not?).  That way, I can love the word "love" again.