I believe that we are inherently social creatures. Honestly, without people around us, I don't think we can even consider ourselves "humans". We are not just our ideas, but also the way those ideas spread, the way those ideas change and shape the world, even the ideas others dump into us ...
That people, for me, is family.
Not just the blood relationships. Those can be huge, especially when we are younger. But our chosen family too. The people we decide to share our lives with. The people that will carry a part of us when we die, that will ensure that our light doesn't really go off. And the people that we care about in the same way.
(right now, you are kind of part of my family, just for reading this ...)
I'm proud of my current family. It's always changing, and growing. But I feel like I'm leaving a good mark. I feel like I become a better person when I'm close to them, and I kinda feel that I also help them become better.
For me, that's real love. Not sex, not favors, not even trust or communication. Just the fact of growing together, becoming better with someone, helping them become better. That's what I put on the word love.
And I love my family. Thanks for existing, everyone.