When love dies

It was strange.  This past week, a few people fielded me with questions about 'Love'.
I am no expert, and am still at times, pondering over it's significance.  This is one topic that lends itself to a whole spectrum of responses, and I must say, it really depends on the individuals.

The ancient Greeks, have 4 different words for love.
Agape - the traditional form of love - of happy thoughts and good feelings {Charity)
Eros - more of an attraction of desire, of passion and romance
Philia - the kind of comfortable feeling ...maybe between friends (Friendship)
Storge - affection ...like that of a parent for a child.(Affection)
(do read it up for yourself if you are interested)

But the one that really took me off guard, was this one.
The message was not one of hope.
"What happens when love dies?"

As it is, Love is such a complex emotion that it may , on the surface, seem easy to get rid of once it is no longer there.  But because love starts and grows from a certain point, it may have rooted deep within a person, and it is not easy to just let go.  We cannot switch on and off our emotions that easily.

Sadly, many a times, people get involved in relationships, or friendships, or even get married because they think they are 'in love'.  For some, it is the idea of falling in love with that idea itself that adds on to the confusion. Plus different perceptions of what love ought to be...we see now why, in an age of instant gratifications, marriages break down, and people are cynical about the idea.

"Love never dies a natural death. It dies because we don't know how to replenish its source. It dies of blindness and errors and betrayals. It dies of illness and wounds; it dies of weariness, of withering, of tarnishing."- Anonymous

I know this is getting mushy.
But back to the question again...what does one do when love dies?

Again there are no answers.
You choose...
a) to allow it to die, and move on
b) to try and re-ignite the spark
c) do a lot of soul searching
many,many options.

But don't forget one sad fact.
Yeats said, "Hearts are not had as a gift.. Hearts are earned.."
You must have one loved the other person, and now, search deep within yourself to keep just a tiny portion of that...so that they will not be replaced with strong, intense hate instead.

Be strong, dear one.
May god be with you.