When you are loved, how do you know?

People can fake being caring, being genuinely concerned when they have an agenda in mind which involves exploitation.

Their agendas may include yet can be more than one ~
Sex
Money
Time
Attention
Resources
Material possessions
Status
Emotional gratification
Power

The list can go on and on. In an earlier time, as I stated before, many people used things then loved other people. It is, sadly, often the reverse in today's materialistic world, lacking genuine care.
Manipulating others with lies that have just a kernel of truth so as to make the lies seem believable.

The difference between genuine care & friendship vs using some one is that the true caring with no end game goal is present.
As children from birth to around 5 years of age, most people are very trusting of everyone. Some children learn mistrust of others earlier, some learn it later.
Some people ~ such as myself ~ remained a bit naive even into adulthood. 
I WANTED to believe that people were good at heart, that they meant what they said, that's the way I am.
Such a pollyanna view of the world.

The truth is that if you trust without first watching another person, if you give trust, it will result in disaster on some level nearly every time.
Even people who seem trustworthy may be found to be false.
Even people who were, years ago, trustworthy are not, now.
Even people who are supposed to love you, care about you, are not.
Even when unicorns eat butterflies & fart rainbows. *smile*

How do you know?
How do you distinguish?

In my experience, males will extort a girls desire to be loved by saying whatever it takes to get what he wants. Lies lies lies.
I am not like this (as a girl) yet, many girls will use their charms to extort whatever resources they can from a guy.

Then there is the "friend in need". They come around whenever they need money or resources, then, they disappear.

Such pitfalls in life.

The East Indian poet Tgor said ~

"When we feel beauty, we know it as truth."

When a person truly cares, they will like and/or accept everything about you. Your flaws are "cute" or "quirky". Your feelings, your point of view, matter to them. They consider it, vs quashing it with their own p.o.v.or with facts they quote from memory.
When someone cares about you, you can feel the "click" aka "connection".
Therein lies the difference, not to be confused with different lies.
*smile*

These pearls of thought sound like basic knowledge, yet, it takes time to apply them.
Keeping the knowledge in thought is easy, until that flesh & blood being is right there with you, in person. Application of holding back & observing takes the strength of Arnie to apply!

I'll be back!