Is love all you need? Current societal narratives tell us that romantic love is an 'ultimate concern;' it's the highest goal a human being can attain.
We're all after it; many, if not most, books, poetry, music, and films revolve around it.
Ultimately, beyond everything life offers, we all want a romantic relationship providing us with an undying love that allows us to live happily ever after and washes away our sorrows.
But unfortunately, in the vast majority of cases, romantic love isn't what it's promised to be.
It's not a source of long-lasting happiness; it's not an answer to our unhappiness and loneliness.
And according to some, falling in love, despite its euphoria, does more harm than good.
Losing oneself in a vortex of uncontrollable emotions varying from extreme joy and passion to numbing agony can wreak havoc on mental and physical well-being.
There's scientific evidence that falling in love can be harmful. Also, according to Buddhism, romantic love is detrimental to attaining happiness, which is ironic, as society often views romance as the ultimate ingredient for happiness.
Hence, most of us desperately seek a romantic partner that allows us to enter that experience. But falling in love has serious downsides.
And even though this goes entirely against the social narrative, the idea of avoiding falling in love (or romantic love) is worth examining for the skeptics among us.
