Have you ever wondered if you can stop loving someone? Well, when love dies, it goes away silently. Many people believe it disappears with screams, fights, or long-lasting arguments. I hardly think so. As others say, love probably dies when we stop speaking to each other. Maybe it perishes when we stop sharing those beautiful thoughts inside our heads. Or perhaps it wears off a bit at a time. Sometimes we may not even realize that until it is too late.
Love is an inherent human feeling. It takes a lot of dedication, work, effort. It is not something that, once won, stays forever. Nope. Love requires us to keep trying – to keep making the other person fall in love with us every single day. It isn’t something granted to us. We need to fight for it; we need to consciously act in a way that preserves it.
Some people say that when love dies, the world goes silent. They tell us that we can stop caring about what the other person thinks of us and stop caring about how they feel. Because there is no applause for falling in love, and there are no fireworks when it ends. There are no billboards along the freeway stating that we no longer love each other.
But, how did we get to this loveless place? The devil, as they say, is in the details. We stop asking each other about our days, or we stop paying attention, or we don’t see when the other is hurt. We stop expressing our love in the little gestures. We forget our pains and even start opening new wounds.
Maybe we cheat, we lie, we hide. That erodes trust – unable to persist through those hardships. No, now we cannot expose our deepest thoughts. We don’t even feel the need to. In our day-to-day living, we forget to take care of each other.
Yes, there are certainly many reasons why love may fade away. Sometimes the other person may make it difficult to love them. Sure, we need to stick together through challenges, but there are times when love simply may not be enough. Eventually, we, who once had forgiven, now stop granting forgiveness and start building up tension (or resentment). Of course, stress overloads us and makes it difficult to think clearly. The veil of love may now be gone, and we see only the things that annoy us.
However, it may not always be clear why the love withers and stops. In fact, it might take time to simply understand we no longer love each other. As it happens when falling in love, the change comes slowly and, suddenly, we realize everything is different.
Remember that love is a strange thing. It arrives unexpected, to carry us on its wings. However, when we least expect it, it weakens or vanishes altogether. The small things are love’s building blocks, but they are also the ones that take it away from us. The forgotten plate on the counter, the overdue bills, the last fight that breaks the camel’s back. And then we go silent. When we stop caring, when we stop talking – that is when the love is gone.
Indeed, it can be obvious. Sometimes we just fight too much, or there are too many deep-rooted problems, or we are simply not made for each other. Even then, if there comes a time when we stop loving each other, we go silent as well. We no longer think so deeply of each other, and we stop regretting things once everything is over.
There is pain in falling in love. There is pain in falling out of love.
It can shatter us into pieces but also build us stronger.
As it previously noted, love doesn’t come with a drumroll. It doesn’t fly away in flames. It sweeps around silently, taking off unexpectedly, but just as silent. Love doesn’t like making noises. No, it fills the emptiness. Or it becomes emptiness itself.
Time doesn’t stop for love. Yes, we can try to fight for our love. But there are two people in every relationship. If we are the only one who keeps on fighting, we may be trying to win a lost cause. We can still stay together, but won’t we be miserable? Sure, it depends on what feelings are left, and it depends on how the other person treats us.
Love is a two-sided blade. It can mold us into a glorious shape, or it can turn us into miserable beings. There is no proven formula for loving each other. Yes, we should strive for love, but is that always enough? Is that feeling always the only one that can make us happy? Isn’t it possible to live without love?
It probably depends. Sometimes, when a person is deeply hurt, they may cover their scars and wounds by pretending not to love anyone. Although, the darkest time comes when we stop loving ourselves. Then – as it would happen if we were in a relationship – we stop caring, we stop enjoying, and we stop trusting ourselves. And that happens silently.
So, pay attention to the silence. It can tell you so many stories.
I took part in The Happiness of Knowledge project because I believe we should seek knowledge everywhere, even in that silence itself. We here are trying to give people short stories with morals that encourage deeper reflection. If you feel compelled to our mission, become a member, and you’ll receive a new short story every week.