Valentine’s Day is approaching, and the essence of love surrounds students. The definitions and meanings of love have changed over time, which causes confusion between the sentimental feeling of love and the deceiving feeling of lust.

“Love is accepting and loving some for all of their insecurities, imperfections, and flaws,” sophomore Clara Soderquist said.

Love can be accepting reality between two partners, which defines a strong understanding of one another.

“Love is a strong connection between two people that is genuine and that people make work,” freshman Reigan Warber said.

Students relate love to the foundation of a connection built up over time between two partners. This connection should develop trust that the two partners are willing to fight for.

The disfiguration of love has created an opening for a new outlook on relationships: lust. There are times when lust can be confused with love, and that is a dangerous thought process that can lead to heartbreak or false emotions.

“Lust is a manner of using somebody else for your desires,” freshman Bryson Wood said.

Lust allows individuals to believe they may be in love when they are not.

“I would define lust as being a desire for physical appearance and sexual desire,” Warber said.

Students agree on the fact that lust is a compromised and contorted feeling of emotion. Lust stems from unhealthy desires that either partner in a relationship could have. These desires can produce emotions and feelings that are entirely fabricated just for sexual pleasure.

“Relationships are more in tune with lust through relationships being developed without getting the opportunity to build a connection on a deeper level,” Soderquist said.

Relationships have developed over time based on both love and lust.

“I think relationships are more in tune with lust because of what we can see,” Warber said. “In the past, relationships used to be based on love, but now, nobody wants a connection.”

Lust has taken a dominant role over love in balancing relationships. This has come to fruition due to the loss of importance in building a connection between two individuals. Connections are carefully established over a short or long period through trust and acceptance.