Humans have a strange habit of doing what they call 'falling in love'. This action has something to do with their hearts and souls, and something about hormones in their brains. But in all reality the effect is not unpleasant, in fact, with the exception of the occasional 'break up', humans seem to have come across a rather interesting concept.

Falling in love, we are told, is a wonderful experience. Movies, songs, poems, books and artwork all depict this action and the glorious effects it has on not only the mortal person but also upon their immortal soul. The concept of 'soul mates'¹ is instilled in the romantic thoughts of all children, from times even before they are interested in the opposite sex, through the use of fairy tales and other bedtime stories. The ancient Greeks established this philosophy with their myth concerning the origin of the two sexes. Zeus, king of the gods, became angry with his creation, a single-sex creature that could reproduce and wandered the earthly paradise in perfect harmony with its surroundings, and sent a lightning bolt to split these creatures in two. This caused the male and female forms to come into existence, but Zeus went a step further and spread all of the two forms throughout the world, thus making it almost impossible for the one half to find the other matching half. From that day onward, according to Greek legend, men and women have been looking for their other half, their 'soul mate'.

Yet, once these children grow out of the stories and begin to notice the opposite sex they quickly discover that to fall in love is to search for this soulmate - much harder than what was alluded to during childhood. Boys discover that they are not the white knight who must battle evil and kiss the sleeping princess for her to awake and ride off into the sunset with. Girls must pull themselves out of the mist of being a 'daddy's girl' and realise that they are not always the princess who is to find the charming prince. Even a princess can become an old maid and a prince a permanent bachelor.

However, should these young adults discover the 'perfect match' and the world seems to float and drift away at the moment of that first magical kiss between lovers, then they are truly fortunate. However the problem is keeping one's 'true love' around long enough to convince them that they are indeed meant to spend their life with the person before them. Sadly, this does not always work and the lover leaves, leaving behind them one who now stands alone and who only has a broken heart to show for all their efforts. Love is frustrating and annoying, painful and infuriating, wonderful and orgasmic, deliriously spectacular and peaceful all at once. 'What fools these mortals be...'

But, keep faith in the fact that many humans and their children will and do find love and keep it throughout their lives. Men and women meet, fall in love, marry and produce offspring. They grow old together and die, hoping to be able to meet in the next life - providing they believe in that sort of thing. So, love - wonderful, glorious, amazing and powerful - is truly the bane of human existence in its most infuriating way of causing inspiration within the human mind and soul.

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¹ Individuals destined to be together for all time, in this life and in the one(s) after.