Loss is Man's destiny, since anything we endeavour to love in this world can be taken from us at any moment. And nothing is more painful or crippling than the loss of a loved one.
Whether it's mortal death or the death of passion that severs a human union, the loss of a loved one cannot be prevented by any worldly craft or art.
But although we cannot prolong the time given to us to share with our loved ones, we can choose how we use it. If we can love selflessly and abundantly, the sheer immensity of love shared will far outweigh the tragedy of a shortened bond.
For very often, the greatest tragedy of a loved one's passing is not the loss itself, but the regret of not having shown and given our love more freely before it was too late.
When our partner decides to leave the relationship, or when someone we love does not reciprocate our feelings, the initial agony may seem insufferable. But we need not let the pain engulf us.
The ability to love someone is the greatest gift we possess. It is a store that will never run out, no matter how much of the inventory we choose to give away. This desire to love is a self-rejuvenating mechanism because when love is given away, more love rushes in to fill its place.
On the other hand, the desire for love gorges a heart with delicious lies that say it has the power and the right to make others love it. Over time, the glutted heart eventually collapses under its own weight, a fat and rotten thing.
It is not in our power, nor is it our right to make others love us. No one truly belongs to you. Not your family members, not your partners, and certainly not someone you just started to develop feelings for. A relationship founded on a selfish longing to possess is almost certain to fail.
Love fearlessly and unselfishly, and you need never feel the anguish and regret of loss.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
