Love is the strongest form of attachment. When you deeply love another person, you constantly desire their company. You get the utmost enjoyment from being around them, from seeing them smile to hearing them laugh. You want them to be a constant part of your life. More importantly, however, you desire their love. Mutual love is what we all hope for. Unfortunately, loving someone does not guarantee that they will love you back, at least not with the same amount of passion that you love them. As a romantic, I believe that one-way love is one of the most heart-wrenching of loves.

Truly loving someone consists of giving them a part of yourself. Your love for them consumes you; it seemingly completes you. This type of love is often seen through a parent's love for their child or a lifelong partner's love for their soul mate. It is unconditional and incomparable. When you see them in a joyous state, you cannot help but smile. When you witness them being ditsy, it warms your heart, and when they express their love for you, it gives you butterflies. It is this type of love that many of us strive to experience at least once in our lifetime. Such a love is rare because to love someone so passionately requires you to completely open yourself up and become as vulnerable as can be.

So, now imagine, you love someone from the depths of your heart, and they do not love you back. Unrequited love is a complete tragedy. Love can be the most wonderful and beautiful thing in the world, but if it is not returned, it can destroy you. Unrequited love is the love that causes you to stay up all night believing you are incompetent; it is a love that creeps up on you when you least expect it to and brings you to tears. To put it simply, it hurts. It gives you the same feeling as getting punched in the stomach. It will make you sick to the gut knowing you have given someone your all and they do not love you the same.

Unfortunately, you cannot force someone to love you. Remember, however, their inability to love you as deeply as you love them is usually not your fault. Do not let such a situation make you think poorly of yourself. Love is a mystery. I certainly do not know what makes us love the people we love. This phenomenon we call love is one that occurs naturally, and it is one that captivates you. Loving someone who does not reciprocate the same feelings with the same fervor is heart wrenching, but you must continue to love passionately, keep your wall down and hold your head high.