Student: No such thing as true love
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 9:10AM Susan Clark
Guest columnist
Does true love exist? That love as in “The Notebook,” “Titanic,” “Pretty Woman,” “You’ve Got Mail” and “Pride and Prejudice” - must I keep naming? Simply too many delightful films exist to name. But what do all these have in common? They are well-known motion picture films, not factual events.
In a country where the divorce rate is estimated to be between 40 and 50 percent, it doesn’t seem as if it exists. What exactly is love?
Our definition of true love is warped. We’ve watched too many romantic movies and too many films with happy endings. Honestly, that’s not what true love is.
My boyfriend and I were talking about true love when he told me he does not feel “true love” toward me. I was extremely relieved because I don’t feel that way either. I don’t feel that whimsical feeling shown in the movies. My foot does not “pop” when we kiss. In fact, our relationship is nothing similar to a romance movie, because true love doesn’t exist.
True love is loving without conditions. True love is loving without expecting something in return. And when we are in a relationship, we expect things from our partners.
For example, if I’m considerate of my boyfriend’s feelings and beliefs, I expect him to be considerate of mine.
I am expecting something from him; therefore, our love is not “true.” We all expect things whether they are small or great.
I agree with opinion editor Connor de Bruler when he says,“True love does not exist.” It is not like the movies. Love requires hard work, dedication and compassion among other things, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less wonderful than the true love you see in the movies.
When you find a person who makes you happy, ask yourself if you are in a healthy relationship. Does this person genuinely care about you and do you care about them? Can you picture yourself with this one person for the rest of your life? Can you live without this person?
Think about these questions deeply, and if that person is worth it, put in time and hard work. Then you will have real true love.
