I think that true, selfless love doesn%26#039;t really exist judging from my experience and my observations of those around me.
When you think about it, romantic love only lasts about 18 months to two years, only because it serves a biological function to bring people together to have sex and perpetuate the species. Attraction is only chemical - a response to pheremones - and there is no way that love between a man and a woman will survive for any long period of time if one of them doesn%26#039;t want to have sex. Then, you may as well be living with any one of your platonic friends.
People get sick of each other and divorce, so whatever was holding them together was only a temporary attraction and not a deep, enduring affection. It was probably lust or what they thought was love but was something else - like panic or settling.
The only people who really stay together are those who need to for financial reasons, those who are too scared to be alone, and those who are too lazy to pack up and change their situation.
You see lots of old married couples. Do you really think that they have a real passion for each other or that they are just resigned to their fate of needing a companion to with whom to share life%26#039;s burdens and with whom to split bills, rather than really knowing that is the one person they want to be with over all others and why.
Even the supposedly unconditional love for a child doesn%26#039;t survive for some people if the parent and child are different enough or have personalities and behaviours that the other one cannot tolerate.
I think love is just a made up scam to perpetuate the human race (who knows why?) and/or to couple up for economic reasons.
Anyone else? Anyone been in what they would call love for a long time? What%26#039;s the difference between love and lust. Isn%26#039;t love really just love with better manners and a hidden agenda?|||I dont think I can %26quot;prove%26quot; you wrong here on yahoo answers.
BUT I do know that I am definately in love with my fiance. He is always there for me, cares about me, listens to me, supports me, respects me, makes me feel loved, and is my best friend. Yes, we do have our disagreements, but we never yell and we always talk things through. He never puts me down, and we are so honest with each other. I feel like I can be myself around him, and I know I can always confront him or talk to him about ANYTHING! He would do anything and everything for me.
Another example is my parents. 30 years together and still, very much in love. :)
edit: Aila, im so sorry to hear that. It really breaks my heart to think of losing my fiance. I wish you blessings for your present and furture relationships. :)|||Lust is just physical.When you love someone his appearance doesn%26#039;t even matter.You could even fall in love with someone you talked over the phone.True love exists|||well i believe in love coz love dosent have 2 b lust, love is when you care about someone.
love exists. its everywhere but people who dont believe in it cant see it.|||true love is all in the inside, all inner beauty|||I totally agree! Every relationship I%26#039;ve seen has ended and ended badly at that. I%26#039;m a strong believer in lust, but love is for story books.|||agreed!|||I was in love with my boyfriend of 3 and a half years until the day he died. I knew he was going to die for most of those years but we really liked each other and even though I knew it would hurt like hell and change my life, I stayed with him and watched him slowly get sicker and sicker (cancer). We never had sex he was my best friend and we never got involved with money or had any hidden agendas. I enjoyed his company and he enjoyed mine. Those years were the best of my life. It is insulting to hear that someone out there doesn%26#039;t believe that I loved him or that one of us had a hidden agenda because we didn%26#039;t. We kept everything on the table and dove into our relationship without holding back even though we knew he would not live. I have seen that situation other times in other couples. It is rare, but it is true love.|||O I think you are wrong.
My mom divorced my dad, she didn%26#039;t love some of the things he did, but she still loves him. They are still great friends.
My step dad and her are in love. 16 years (I%26#039;m 16 btw my parents divorce was final 2 weeks before my birth, my dad was still there) and for her to put up with his major flaws it has to be love. You can think what you wish, but you must have had a messed up childhood to not believe in anytype of love regardless.
You at one point loved something, therefore you can%26#039;t say love doesn%26#039;t exist.|||I agree with you. %26quot;Love%26quot; is a sensation of pleasure we receive from someone. This pleasure can take form in sexual, emotional, and even financial pleasures derived from a significant other. This %26quot;love%26quot; actually exists in anything that brings us pleasure! This is how %26quot;love%26quot; turns to hate so easily, and why our %26quot;selfless%26quot; sacrifices can leave us feeling discontent with, and even hateful towards the other if we don%26#039;t get our desired reaction. Everything we say/do towards our %26quot;loved one%26quot; is truthfully made with a calculation of expected pleasure. This is why %26quot;love%26quot; is never what we expect it to be, and why it is so hard. When we get attached to our source of pleasure, we feel the need to protect, sustain, and increase the pleasure derived from it. This can be reflected in all of the beautiful poetic lines we utter to our significant other. This is also why we are %26quot;sorry%26quot; after upsetting our %26quot;loved one%26quot;. If we really scrutinize the intention behind our actions in relationships, we will see how selfish we really are. Love is a quality that exists opposite to us. Bestowal versus reception. We have no sense of this quality, because our reality is completely subjective, and Absolutely opposite to it. The only way for us to know Love or Bestowal, is to become similar to It. This is not a simple task that can be accomplished through particular actions. We already know that all of our actions have selfish intentions. This has to be done through a method that awakens a new craving in us. A craving to be similar to something in complete opposition to us. A craving for True Love. Check out these links:
www.perceivingreality.com
http://www.laitman.com/2009/05/let-us-op…
http://www.laitman.com/2009/05/the-mathe…
