What is a hopeless romantic?

[boyPablo]

And more to the point, is it such a bad thing?

You know when I think of hopeless romantics, I also ponder on the word idealism.

Teens and twenty-year olds tend to be idealistic about love. Therefore, it's an adult's unofficial duty to tell that young one, "Love is not always just as it should be."

Life is complicated. The older you get, the more you have to learn to compromise on your ideals. And that's definitely true in love.

The partner we crush on early on, is often not the partner we end up with later in life.

Forgive my long-winded intro but I am pondering on the idea of being a hopeless romantic, and really, what is a hopeless romantic, and is it important to maintain this sense of romanticism later in life?

 

[DeltaQQ]

You remind me of a Rabbi! I love your posts!

To answer your question, I think yes, you do lose a lot of that idealism initially.

But some people go entirely the wrong direction. They become cynical and sometimes heartless. I've met my share of those guys! They seem really funny and nice on the outside, but on the inside their heart is cold.

You have to hold onto some hope, some faith, or else you're just not going to enjoy any of it. Love has to be romantic, and idealistic, for it to work.

 

[KitchnerDinosaur]

Yes, I also enjoy Rabbi Pablo's post.

I'm not as eloquent as you two. All I can say is that no one dislikes a hopeless romantic. It's nice to have someone who adores you that much.

The only issue people think about is, "Is he sincere?"

And like the old song goes, "Tonight you're mine but will you love me tomorrow?"

 

[boyPablo]

Aww shucks! I had no idea I was coming across as Rabbinical. Just stoic, existential, and forever pondering, is what I would describe myself as.

I agree with both of you.

Love is something that should remain genuine if not idolized.

I am leaning towards the notion that love must remain idealistic and even pure IF you're going to stay married for the rest of your life.

At once, your love must be both realistic (forgiving each other for your flaws) and also hopelessly romantic. She's still the same girl you fell in love with, even when you're both elderly people.

When I think about people who are forever alone, or even forever single, I am reminded of this quote from Don Henley.

"Let hope inspire you, but let not idealism blind you. Don't look back, you can never look back."

Hope and idealism are both different, and all that matters is what you take with you moving forward.