“The Buddhists say if you meet someone and your heart pounds, your hands shake, your knees go weak, that’s not the one. When you meet your ‘soulmate’ you’ll feel calm. No anxiety, no agitation" - Monica Drake.

Naturally, as humans, we walk across the universe often finding that we are always searching for something. Whether it be love, money, or inner peace, there is one thing that we do not have to search for - and that is our soulmates. Personally, I believe that a soulmate is a person who is drawn into your life for a reason. Therefore, they do not walk in and walk out lacking a purpose. A soulmate to me can be someone in which you are romantically involved with or simply a close family member. Sharing the same mindset and want to help one another grow is what defines a soulmate for me.

This is an existential question I have always been highly interested in. As a result of this, I decided that I wanted to write more than my own opinion on this topic. So, I reached out on a few social media platforms and went around my community asking people the same question :

“Do you believe in soulmates, and how would you define them?” Here’s what 16 people said:

“Yes. I believe in the law of attraction, and by this standard, I believe in individuals existing on the same wavelength. When your lives align in that way it’s like “companionate love.” Like that intertwined love that begins as a best friendship and can’t help but become unconditional love.” - Tora Santiago, 19

“I do not believe in soulmates. I think that rhetoric, “soulmate”, serves to undermine the amount of work and care that goes into building a strong relationship. I don’t believe that love is just magic. It is something you have to work at.” - Katrina Millan, 26

“I believe soulmates exist within family, friends, nature, books…etc. I think to restrict a “soulmate” to romantic love limit’s ones ability to fallen love with whomever/whatever they’re fated to be in this life with.” - Natalie Doggett, 18

“I define a soulmate as being someone who understands you in every sense. Someone who you can trust and feel completely at ease with. Who you are excited to tell things to at the end of the day and those who make you become better.” Louisa, 19

“I’d define them as the belief that there is a perfect significant other for every person, and no I don’t think they exist.” Evan Szucs, 20

“Like the great loves of our lives, I think the definition changes over time. In the beginning it is characterized by this shared sense of wonder that you have actually found someone you love so much that loves you just as much - and trust me, it is wonder. This is the person you can count on. Your soul mate can make your dreams come true on a romantic getaway in Venice and can also hold your hand and comfort you through the very darkest of your days.” Lisa Kricun, 51

“ A soul mate, in my opinion, is an individual who makes you feel as if you lost a limb and years later found it with a completeness that is special, beneficial, and unbelievably unique compared to other relations regardless of the dynamic between the two people.” - Austin Shields, 21

“Yes, I believe in soulmates but not in the way they are usually depicted in the media. I think that a soulmate is anyone who makes your life feel complete. They can be a friend, romantic partner, or family member.” - Zoe Nolz, 18

“I actually don’t only because I think love comes from experiences not just by chance. Like you choose to spend time with someone doing things and that is where all the affection comes from.” - Nick Martinez, 21

“I think a soul mate doesn’t have to always be romantic. It’s someone whose life differs from yours, but has grown with you. I think it has to be someone who isn’t afraid to disagree with you. If your truly soulmates you’ll balance one another out. You’d always find a way back to each other.” - Mikaela Guzman, 19

“They definitely exist. I also believe that there is more than just one. A soulmate is the person who makes you feel the most yourself. They don’t have to be romantic but there is definitely a spiritual and mental connection, The aura you carry they carry around too.” - Marla Castillo, 18

“I really want to believe in soulmates. It is such a sweet concept, after all. When I think of soulmates I think of how my parents met. They came into each others live at birth. They were born on the same day, in the same hospital room - just three hours apart. My grandmothers at the time did not know each other, but were helping one another with their newborns. My parents lived in a small town in Peru, and became in friends in elementary school. They stayed friends until my mother went away to college in America. When she came back to visit around Christmas she was reconnected with my father and they started dating! My mother then had to go back to America but my father continued the relationship by sending love letters to her. They got married in Peru and came to the states at 21. Life was never perfect, but they always found each other.” - Emily Ravines, 18

“I believe in soulmates and I would define them as someone who is your best friend. Someone who you constantly think about when you are away from them. This person is the only one who can keep a permanent smile on your face. A soulmate is someone you can’t envision life without.” - Bre’Yana Williams

“I have mixed feelings about soulmates being that I believe you can have multiple ones & they don't even have to be a romantic partner. A soulmate could simply be a friend or family member - someone you just connect with & relate to on a spiritual level! Romantically though, a soulmate is someone who you can't imagine your life without, someone you is always on your mind, someone you have a strong connection with, someone who you is there for you through thick & thin & will always fight for you.” - Hope Ortiz, 18

“I don’t. I think that there are many people you can connect with over the course of our lives. People come in and out at different times. As someone who has been married for a long time, I can say there are times where I feel that my husband is my soulmate, and times where we are a completely different page.” -Ellen B., 67

“Soulmates to me are not only the one for you, but also the one that impacts your life in a way others don’t. They make your life better overall. The feeling of their presence makes you feel physically and emotionally amazing. You can’t live without them because you are drawn to their aura and beauty. They are put in your life to grow and expand your knowledge. You learn about yourself with them. They bring the best out in you because they are the one. Do I believe in them? Of course. It’s like fate. Everything happens for a reason.” - Mico Evangelista, 19

What I’ve gathered from this experience is that love has a very unique meaning to its beholder. The idea of having a soulmate can be derived from one’s connection or from the experiences they create with that person. Many people believe that one can have more than one soulmate in their lifetime due to the changing variable of time. It can be seen that one’s age and life experiences factor into this belief as well.

Personally, my experiences with soulmates have been more platonic. They have been friends who share the same mindset as me and who connect on a spiritual level that only we can understand. We want to help and see each other grow. No matter what hardships we may go through or time that is left unspent, I know that at the end of the day we will always be there for one another.

Overall, connecting with one's soulmate is a very personal experience that can only be answered by several people we meet throughout our life.