what is it ...?

while i was watching "under the tuscan sun" for the nth time a few weeks back, i came across the question "what is it about love that makes us so stupid?" and i was taken aback because it was actually a very good question. what really is it about love that makes us stupid?

i never really understood what being in love meant but when it hit me last time i realized what that most of what is written about it is true. it does make your world seem brighter, you have that giddy smile all day long and it can make you happy and sad all at the same time. emotion can really be a powerful thing and it can screw up royally how you think. some friends i know crave attention so much that they fall in love (so they say) left & right, locked in forbidden relationships with attached people that i'm left to wonder, is that really what love is? does one deserve happiness at the expense of others? some of my friends, when in love, devote their whole attention to the object of their affections that they lose touch with friends. its as if they are completely different people when the one they like/love is present. love shouldn't be like that - it should be about acceptance, being able to look through both the good & the bad and not have to pretend to be somebody else. love should be such that there is room for his friends, her friends and their common friends. there should be some sacrifices alright but not cutting your ties completely. real friends understand the craving to spend a lot of time with the one you love and they stick with you when the going gets rough, when you need a shoulder to cry on or just to share some happy memories with. one doesn't necessarily have to choose between friends and a love one, they can and should exist at the same time. the world doesn't revolve around two people only, we don't live in a box. what's the purpose of creating memories if you have no one to share it with? while real friendship do last a lifetime, its intensity can change - because people, even friends, also need to be nurtured. is it friendship still when you remember your friends only when you need them? in a way yes, but its not a good way to nurture a lasting friendship, no matter how deeply rooted it is already.