On love

This is a female Angler Fish. They're awesome creatures that live in the deep sea, where beauty doesn't matter. If you look at her and divide her in half vertically, you should see a large black spot that kind of looks like an eye. To the left is a little abscess on her belly. It's curled up and looks like a shrimp.

That's the male of the species. They're much smaller than the females. They're equipped with a number of sensory organs which are devoted to the sole purpose of finding a female. Once they find a female, they latch on to her. After a while he eventually fuses with her. They become a single organism.

Her blood flows through both of their bodies. Meanwhile, he provides her with a continuous flow of sperm. This mutually parasitic relationship is a beautiful solution to the problem of finding a mate in the vastness of the deep sea. Without the female, the male could not survive. Without the male, the female couldn't reproduce - and that's the fundamental goal for every organism in nature. So both of these animals NEED one another.

And now to my point.

There's a couple like that in my dorm, except it's not nearly as poetic or beautiful as the relationship between male and female Angler Fish. The girl doesn't live here, but she might as well. I've only seen the guy twice without her. One of those times he was on his way out of the dorm, probably to go get her.

It doesn't bother me that they're happy. It doesn't bother me that they're "in love." I haven't reached that level of bitterness and angst. They're just always together. I'm pretty sure that digestion stops when she leaves him. They're both in the marching band, and they play the same instrument. At worst it's offensive, at best it's obnoxious.

I've been in love, I think. And even then, you need an occasional break. The first time they watch you sit on the toilet it's cute, but after that it's just creepy. What these two have isn't (by my definition) love, it's obsession. Obsession is excusable early on in the relationship. But this level of codependency is sickening. Should they, for whatever reason break up, neither of them will have anyone to turn to.

It's frustrating for me to see two people who have no disregard for the consequences of their actions. It's frustrating for me to watch someone ruin their life.

I don't know the precise definition of love, but I know that it doesn't smother. It's like oxygen for your soul. It fosters growth instead of stifling it. It's exhilarating and euphoric. It's virulent in the manner in which it affects every aspect of you. It changes your vision - everything is more beautiful. It changes your outlook - the glass is half full.

When you're with the person you love, you're completely vulnerable. You peel back the facades that you carry around for various occasions and allow someone to see you for who you really are.

And maybe that's what these two kids have. Maybe they aren't ignorant of the consequences that await them. Maybe they've simply chosen to ignore them.