What it means to love in 5 points.

1. Love is relational. This means that at least two individuals are necessary in order for love to exist; when an individual is both the object and the subject of love, then the love is deficient and is called narcissism. When "the other" receives all of the attention at the expense of self-care, then the love is deficient and is called dependency. However, when love is reciprocal and each partner has the best interests of the other in mind, and love flows from one toward the other in harmonious symbiosis, then love thrives. Love is not in love with itself but rather finds is expression with another.
2. Love is an art. This means that love penetrates and permeates all aspects of one's life; love is not relative to a situation but rather finds expression in all situations because it is always-already embodied within the person in those situations. An example of this is how we imagine a potential partner interacting with us similar to how they interact with strangers. A potential partner who angrily curses the waiter or waitress for a wrong food order while in the same breath expressing intimate romantic interest sparks a contradiction of character. Similarly, if a potential partner can treat strangers with a cold cruelty, then it must be asked much a stretch it would be for that coldness to be directed toward the lover. 
3. Love is patient. A loving heart recognizes that each person is on a journey and that encounters with others happen at different points during their journey. People encountered one another during the course of each individual's journey; each encounters the other in a constant state of change and development. Sometimes, one person or the other is happy. Other times, people are mad. And there are times that people are sad. In addition, emotional and intellectual developmental differences evolve over time, and the person encountered during one segment of time might be be different at another segment. Human beings are not static things; we are always in the process of "becoming," or stated in another manner, "our being is our becoming." Love takes into account the constant movements of the human heart while traversing across life and shows patience for the developmental processes of the heart.
4. Love is kind. A loving person acts with generosity and acts for the greater good of both self and other, even when neither really "deserve" love. Every person has their enemies, it seems. The loving person also loves their enemies. Every person has been wronged by someone else at some point in time or other; the loving person forgives those who have caused them wrong. Love is unconditional in the sense that love is given to all without first pondering worthiness. 
5. Love is quiet. Stated in another manner, "love is its own reward." Real love happens not for the sake of social recognition; real love has no monetary benefit. Love is given and love is received because love itself it the goal of love, and all those involved with it gain personal benefit from participation. Love needs no other motivation than its own expression and its own fulfillment. 

I invite my readers to leave comments about what they believe to be the most universal aspects of love.