That is, can you really be genuinely (what we as a society have come to regard as) "in love" with someone, if the object of your love isn't in love with you, or worse, has basically no romantic feelings for you at all?

I've had this discussion off and on over the years particularly with a close female friend of mine. She believes you absolutely can. I've never been so sure, something inside just tells me that if it's not a mutually shared thing, than what you're feeling can't truly be called being in love. Just as the most a strong infatuation, obsession, whatever you wanna call it.

And the only other possible viable answer I can come up with past simply either yes or no would be that if you feel there's no universal absolute for it, that it's the kind of thing that could only be judged on an individual basis of the particular pairing of people you're talking about.

you were about due for one of these threads

Nice

For the record, this isn't coming from a personal place at all, it doesn't currently apply to me in any way. Again, just a debate I've had with a friend for a long time, and I'm curious to know what others think.

anything is possible...but in my experience no matter how strongly i've felt toward someone I could never have called it love if she didn't reciprocate...so my feelings were left unanswered so to speak...
and when I was in love it was definitely different and a two way street with much more intensity...although if she's a friend i suppose you could like her to the point where it becomes a romantic love rather than a friendship since you have gotten to know the person well enough where as a non friend that you never really get to know cant really develop because you don't learn about their emotions and thoughts and therefore never bond intimately

I recall a fellow being very adamant that he loved a lamp.

ask any stalker and they'd agree. but if you really love someone like that and are happy getting nothing in return then i don't see why it needs validation from others.

*billboard.

what a weirdo.

Really.

Just checkin in folks.

There's just entirely too many different levels of love for there ever to be any definitive outcome in a discussion on the subject. I should know. I've started a thread like this before.

It yielded varying results.

Bart D.

Spoiler: show

I'll give you a couple sentences.

Knew a girl during my first year of college. We could not keep a straight face every time we were around each other. Always a smile. We always knew we were on each others mind when sitting in the library together. We would look up at each other and just start laughing. It was beautiful. But...she had a boyfriend. My friends told her she was leading me on. That sucked because now she won't talk to me. She avoids me.

But for those few months it was "love" no doubt, because I have never felt that then or since. But hey I am only 22 we'll see what happens.

That's a sweet story. I'm sorry you didn't get to pursue her. Just so you know - "couple" means exactly two. You gave us a "few" sentences. I learned this a "few" years ago and it blew my mind.

I'll cut your head off.

Hey, that's a little extreme. Maybe an arm...

I read that wave as being very friendly.
In fact, im going to check with your supervisor as to whether or not I can engage in fluid exchange with you.

What, no 3way?

it is all just semantics