Twists and Turns

True love brings happiness. Romantic love if true should also bring ‘happiness’. How can one know what is true love? True love has four elements. First of all mindful awareness of kindness can offer happiness. If a person cannot offer happiness that is not true love. In romantic love if you are not able to make the other person happy that is not true love. If partners are not able to offer happiness both will suffer. The second element of love is ‘compassion’. Compassion is the kind of energy that can remove suffering. If partners cannot transform or take care of their suffering it is not true love. So the second element of love ‘Karuna’ should be contemplated by partners. Romantic or not romantic is not important; the thing important is whether it is true love or not. The third element of true love is ‘joy’. If partners cry all the time or make the other cry that is not true love romantic or unromantic. The fourth element of true love is “inclusiveness”. His suffering is her suffering and his happiness is her happiness and vice-versa. There is no individual suffering or happiness anymore. In true love there is no separation no frontier between partners. One can’t say that’s ‘your’ problem! Problems and suffering belong to each other. If romantic love has these four elements it can bring a lot of happiness. If romantic love is successful and partners cultivate kindness and compassion very soon their love will be all-embracing. Only if they are no longer the object of each other’s love their love continues to grow and embrace all things around; happiness becomes limitless. The author leaves the decision on readers to decide whether the story of Sameer and Shefali is a story of true love or not!