Ok, imagine that you're on a walk and somebody came along and told you there was a good chance you'll fall off a cliff and die if you continue. That some, a few lucky ones, managed to avoid it but the result is usually the same. You would think that you would turn around and high-tail it out of there, right?
Now, what if, (and you've probably already figured this out because you're a quick-witted lad/lass) this is what love is like? In almost every relationship people enter, the chances of you getting #rekt in the end are high. Why do we do this? For what conceivable reason do we keep walking and falling over that cliff, letting our hearts break on the ground below? It's suicide.
It's not the love that's the problem, it's humanity. We disappoint each other and act selfishly. Relationships get messy and love ends up hurting us more than helping us. And even when we cradle somebody's heart so delicately in our hands, it still slips away and splinters at our feet. And now everybody is covered in bits and pieces of shrapnel with no easy way to pull it out.
Other times, however, the impact is just a resounding thud. We know that all things come to an end and yet we're still surprised when we're kissing the pavement instead of their lips. If you've ever had the experience of falling off a ladder or a tree, that's what it feels like. The moment where you can't breath in or out and you're paralyzed. You reach a period in your life when you're numb and you know people are trying to reach you and help you but all you can hear is static.
Third, there are times when the walk itself is worse than the fall. That we almost look forward to the end and once it's over, we can brush off the dust and move on. However, just because we got out unscathed, that doesn't mean the other person is ok. And when you're the other person, the one who can't get up and the one who still needs that love, it's hard. It feels cruel and unjust. It's just not fair that they should be able to walk away while you lay there broken on the pavement.
Are we just destined to keep repeating this terrible, terrible cycle? No. We can choose not to go down that road. We can choose to lock ourselves away and keep up our walls. We can stay where it's safe. But it's more than just stupidity that gets us out of bed each morning. It's bravery. Both stupidity and courage are knowing the risks and doing it anyway. It's because we're so desperate and so intent on achieving happiness that we cling, beyond all reason, to that 10% of roads that don't end in agonizing pain. I can't tell you not to be afraid of the path ahead, you should be. Nor can I say for certain what your walk will be like. I can't even say it'll be worth it or you'll eventually find happiness.
But even though it's safe, get out of your box anyway. If you do, you can learn and explore and understand yourself better. It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all, right? Those who don't play can't win. As long as it's possible, keep fighting. This is why love and courage are so intertwined. Because everybody has a chance at love and happiness, so long as you're not a coward.
