Why is love important?

In yesterday's Socratic Seminar we discussed our journal topic. Why is love such an important theme in music, poetry, short stories, novels, and movies? Why are people so interested in love--and so often, so bad at loving?
One of my classmates had mentioned that love is something we grow up having. For example, we experience love when we're first born and held by our parents.

I agree with what my classmate had said but in my opinion, I don't think we grow from just being held by our parents. I believe that there's more to it.
We don't just grow and then magically know how to love. We grow from that first hug we received and learn how to love on the way.

A lot of people say 'love' is a strong word... It may be but then why do we say we love something.

Big Question(s):
Is love something we really need in life?
Why is love important?
What is love?

Being loved and loving someone is an ingredient of human survival. It may not be much of a  human necessity like oxygen, food, water, etc.  But love does satisfy the emotional needs of humans. To some of us, it may make us feel good about our selves. Love is important because we can then have relationships with people and turn to them when we need a push.

Love? Love is about caring for someone, wanting to be there for them, supporting them, and helping them grow. It means caring about someone else's happiness, problems, and struggles other than one's own.