can love conquer all?

hmmm... no.

i'm a cynical bastard, what do you expect? ^-^

my sister's friend recently posed this question. well, can it? can plain (she says its "plain". i prefer "pure"), unadulterated (some people just love using words without knowing what it means.. just to sound profound... feh) love be enough to get pass through all hardships, trials, and all the other bad stuff life throws at you?

again, no.

maybe if i was 16 or 17, i'd have a different answer. "love is all we need" and "love can conquer all" are nice little quotes... but believing in such will ultimately lead to one's demise. why? its a completely blind and inconsiderate thing to say love is all you need. yes, its nice to hear something like that. romantic even. but its not real. there's more to a relationship than love. there's COMMITMENT, there's TRUST, there's COMPROMISE. perhaps if you live in an ideal world where everything is all nice and dandy, then love might just be enough. but this world isn't even remotely close to "nice and dandy". its harsh. its cruel. its difficult. its unfair. i'm not being bitter, this is how it is, but if you think otherwise... feel free to explain.

true, love cannot conquer all. the world isn't perfect either, and its sad. but even this cynical bastard can see some light

thanks to family and friends...
yes, the world is what i described it, but even if it is such... it doesn't mean there's no more happiness left in it. the world isn't the problem; its the person.

1) find joy in simple things that this harsh world permits. take life as it is. learn to appreciate what is given to you.

2) you're allowed to be sad and angry sometimes. there's nothing wrong with it. cry if you want to. go throw a glass to the wall. its fine. but don't dwell on it.

3) life short. don't spend it on moping around, feeling sorry for yourself, or thinking of the "what if's". be happy. you'll feel a lot better that way.

4) there's a reason for everything. you may know it, you may not. God's plan is something that's probably beyond our understanding. we just have to trust in Him and His plan for us.

5) life is simple. really. it is. its man that makes it complicated. you might want to read life in a suitcase to see what i mean...

6) tell people how you feel, if showing it is a bit difficult. you'd probably tell yourself on a deathbed that you wished you told people the things you want to say, or at least the things they needed to hear... that's a sad thought, so go out there and hug someone. ^-^

7) love is a decision, not a feeling. yeah, i know this is hard to explain... so i won't even try. happiness is also a choice. bottomline, you call the shots. you decide. this world throws a lot of bad things, i guess we just have to consider them when we make choices...