"Its better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all." -Alfred Lord Tennyson 

Love. It is such a short and simple word, but its such a complex and difficult concept.  

Love can build you up and give strength you never knew you had. It can give you a will to live through the hardest and most devastating circumstances. Love can make you smile even when you feel you can never do so.

On the other side, love can seem to tear you down, stripping you of your strength to do even the most simple actions. It can take away your will to live and make you feel there is no reason to continue on. It takes away all happiness to leave a dark hole of saddness.

 Even with the bad side, love is one of those things that everyone strives to feel. Love from a parent, from a sibling, from a grandparent, from a child, from a teacher, from a boyfriend/girlfriend, from a spouse, and so on. If they don't find love where they want it, they look for it someone else.

Everyone is taught to 'love thy neighbor' and to admire those they love. Everyone is taught that love is the best feeling and nothing is better. When you find that special someone, hold onto them, love them and cherish them, and make them happy. Everyone is taught that when you truly love someone, that person come first above all else and their happiness is what matters the most. 

But what if you weren't taught this? What if you were taught that love is just a sign of great weakness? What if you were taught that love is just a setup for your own downfall and demise? What if you were forbidden to fall in love? What if you were forbidden to get close to anyone?  

Love may build us up to a great heights and tear us down even faster but it turns back around builds us back up. It may be a roller coaster ride, but it is one that everyone is lined up for and excited to ride, because in the end you are the small child that jumps off claiming it was the best ride ever and the most fun.