Infatuation or True Love?

       The word "Love" itself signifies true and pure affection. So giving the title 'true' love is actually quite unnecessary. But nowadays many confuse feelings of infatuation to that of love and it is really hard to find pure love in a person. There are people who show their pure love for some person, but the total number of such people is less. Many are fooled by feelings of lust or infatuation and are led astray. By the time they realize it, it's already too late.
       Love can take many forms. A mother's love for her children, a child's love for his/her parents, a person's love for his country or even the bond shared between owners and their pets. These forms of love are commonly present everywhere and it is pretty standard. There are not many problems which arise due to these bonds. But it is the love between a man and a woman that is quite complex to understand. Although a person's appearance, skills or his wealth can make them more attractive, there is no way we can predict when and where cupid will strike.
       We need to initially find out what true love is. One of the main reasons people fall in love with someone is because of their outward appearance. Although looks are important it is not lasting and it is definitely not real love. Some may even fall for people with a huge amount of wealth which is even more absurd. Love is not something that can be bought with money. There are even more factors which tends to attract people. Many are attracted towards people who are either famous or talented in some aspect. Talent is something which can definitely be admired in a person but even that does not qualify as something worth falling for.
       A person's outward appearance and talent may have nothing to do with his inner character. An actor who may be performing a role of a responsible father in a movie may actually be neglecting his responsibilities in real life entirely. A rich person may not have the compassion to help the needy with his fortune. A beautiful woman may actually be arrogant in nature. So it will be wise to not judge a book by its cover. In the end all that matters is inner beauty. It is right for a person to expect his life partner to be wealthy or pretty. Each person will have their own likes and dislikes which may vary. But it is important to look at the character of a person as it ultimately defines what type of person he/she is.
       It is however sometimes difficult to gauge the character of a person. What you see in a person is what they are willing to show us. But in some cases, we are blinded into thinking that a person is worthy of our love when actually we are tricking ourselves by believing in something which is all but a fantasy. It is true when they say that love is blind. Falling in love is something that happens naturally. You can't force someone to fall in love. And you cannot be methodical about selecting who you fall for. It just happens and there need not be a reason for it. However, teenagers tend to rush into things and end up falling for the wrong person. A person cannot seek love and it cannot be forced onto someone. It must be a natural experience.
       There is a lot of difference between "falling in love" and "staying in love". It's easy to like someone when seeing them for a moment but the feeling of love must last. In most cases people fall in love at first sight. But they don't fully know the character of the person they have fallen in love with. As time goes by, they begin to understand their true nature. In most cases this makes them lose interest. They realize that this wasn't the person they had fallen in love with. In many cases people don't even consider that the person they love might have some flaws. No one can be perfect and each person will have a few flaws in their character. True love must overcome all these flaws. It is easy to love someone for something they are good at. This is called infatuation. If a person truly loves someone, they need to love their flaws as well. They must truly understand the person entirely along with their flaws and accept them as they are. They need to stay in love in sickness and in health, for better, for worse, till death parts them.
       There are also certain cases in which people tend to break up as they have found a "better" person. Personally I do not believe in soul mates. However it is true that there are people who suit someone better than others. This is determined by their character, likes and dislikes. Leaving all that aside, the main factor which determines how much love you have for a person is your own attitude. If you fall in love with someone and show your true affection, then for you they must be the most wonderful person in the world. There may be others who are better suited but your love must not waver. If your mind if fickle, then your love is not strong enough. True love remains strong in the face of any obstacles. It is definitely not possible to lead a life with no fights or disagreements. But if your affection is pure, you will overcome anything that life throws at you. True love triumphs always.