Word association tests are used by many therapists to see how people feel or what their personalities are like to get answers to some issues they may be dealing with. Usually people say the opposite of what the word is given to them. Some other answers are of course acceptable because many can still see the association. And then there are those weirdos who are not connected with reality and have some kind of strange response that makes the therapists think twice about them. Such as:
WORD GIVEN
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NORMAL RESPONSE
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UNDERSTANDABLE RESPONSE
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ABNORMAL RESPONSE
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Black
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White
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Color
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Neon
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Day
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Night
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Monday
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Tooth
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Rich
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Poor
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Money
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Polar Bear
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Open
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Close
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Sesame
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Clock
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Boy
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Girl
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Scout
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Duck
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Smart
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Dumb
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Alec
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Verb
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High
|
Low
|
Dope
|
Blast
|
So, if someone did the test with you and gave you the word love, the normal response would be hate. An understandable response would be emotion. An abnormal response could be anything from Aardvark to Zyklon B. But none of these answers actually tell us what the real opposite or even the real meaning of what love is.
The real opposite of love is not hate. The real opposite of love is apathy. Love is not just an emotion so it can't be hate. Love is not just a feeling, so it can't be associated with food or items we say we "love". Love defined in the Bible is found in 1 Corinthians 13.
- Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.
Although love is a noun in the essence of our existence, love is a verb when it comes to human interaction. Love needs to be shown. It requires action. The only way to show love is through what you do. So if that is true then the only way to not show love or to show the opposite of it is to not do anything---apathy. Parents who neglect their children do not love their children. Teachers who do not take time out to teach students do not love the ones they ignore. Spouses who do not SHOW any love to their partner do not love their partner.
Here is the problem with the world. Some think love is an emotion. The problem with this is that emotions change with situations. And when the situation is over they feel they have lost love and they replace it with another emotion. Or they search for more emotional love and start the cycle all over again. They will never be satisfied. The world thinks love means having sex. They go from partner to partner looking for something that can never be there. They think love and marriage are interchangeable when they're not. Younger people think it has to be part of relationship. They give themselves away only to be hurt when they realize there is more to this world or that their partner no longer wants them in that way. Guilt and loneliness sets in causing eventually feelings of self judgement and low self esteem. The world thinks love is conditional. No. Love NEVER fails. It will always be there. It is there in times of trouble, pain, and disparity. They try to change things about themselves to fit in. They go through fads. They try and "find themselves" because they can't understand that pure love is unconditional and forever but they can't slow down enough to see it, going from situation to situation. The world thinks love is about tolerance. No. Tolerance means you do nothing about something. And the opposite of love is to not do anything--apathy. Many think tolerance and acceptance are the same thing but they're not. You can accept someone for who they are, hence you are patient with who they are. You are kind to them. You do not dishonor them for who they are. But tolerance on the other hand means you give into their actions. That is apathy.
This is why many people get mad at Christians because we are not tolerant of certain actions, thinking we're not showing love. No. We have love and we should should it but intolerance is not hate. It is just the idea that we do not have to abide by certain standards others want us to live by. It's the same thing on the non-religious side, only they expect us to have to live by what they say. They then preach that we are bigots for not tolerating what they do. But Christians have the biggest hate because we are told to love and yet we neglect those who are hurting. We see the "wrong doings" in their lives but we forget to see the person. Christians do not show enough love. We have the greatest example:
John 15:13
- Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Love is the only thing that will break down barriers. Laws of man can not do it.
