Self defence and/or love

What is aikido about for us? Do you do it to learn about self-defence or to improve your harmony with others? Do you do it because you are in good company and it's good to socialise with similar people? Do you think aikido is too soft? Or is it too hard in your dojo? I'm thinking about these questions and I guess all of the above are true somewhere if not asked but stated, but I'm far from understanding all of the them.
What does aikido mean to you?