This thing called Love

The following in an excerpt from my correspondence.


As for myself and dating, well I've been a bit on hiatus from such endeavors. Romance can addle ones goals, and leave them believing that it is the means to a greater end. Unlike novels and movies this "end" only exists in our fantasies, and its whole existence depends upon the efforts of two individuals. Two individuals who will always be individuals at the core, no matter how deluded one or both of their identities becomes from the sweet sip of romance. Then when the bleariness starts to clear, or if the rug is pulled out from under you, ZANG! Back to square one before you're really sure what that even means anymore.
I must stress that this is only my perception on such matters at this current time in my life. This perception, like all my others, will change and evolve with time and experience. Love can be just a game of short lived wins and losses to some, and more power to them for not giving it any more weight then that. I never seemed to be able to treat the word so lightly. Some people use Love as a philosophy, similar to searching for the meaning of life, whether they are aware of it or not. More than any witch doctor or high priest in our foul new millennium, Love conjures up an emotional power whose authenticity cannot be denied by most. This is something real. Something that cannot be replicated at will. Something that powerful must surely be worth pursuing, right?
It's not my goal here to discredit this thing called Love. I know it's real. It has been one of most real forces shaping who I presently am. I would be a fool to write it off. Such actions are taken, and usually only temporarily, by those who have been battered around and emotionally steam-rolled by Love. A sailor cannot doubt the existence of vitamin C and believe he need not worry about a fruitful diet, without suffering the effects of scurvy. So it goes with Love. One cannot proclaim they do not believe in this thing called Love, without experiencing some bitter side effects. True love, soul mates, till death do us part, Mr/Miss Right, these are the culprits whose authenticity should be questioned. Not Love. Love is an abstract power with many faces and facets whose perception from one soul to the next may bear entirely different results. It is through this frame of reference that I want to view Love, and from a safe distance for now.