I agree that you will get comments on here that you may not wish, but in the end, debates can make a good conversation. As I´ve said before, if everyone agree on everything, it would be a boring world :S

Anyway, on that note, my opinion is that love can and should contain pain or it is not love at all. Not the pain that the partner has committed but on other hands if the partner in question has become ill, died or even if you are away from the person you love (long distance or works away from home) then it is RIGHT for it to cause and feel pain or it´s like the love hasn´t existed for that person at all in the first place.

Or in another way of putting it into a great saying "you never really appreciate what/who you have in life until it´s gone"

What you have to realize is that "love", by definition, must involve two parties. Even the most intense feelings of one person for another does not constitute love, unless that person´s feelings are reciprocally returned.

Love is basically a period of time, in which two persons madly, desparately  and (most important) reciprocally try to discover each other. Most "loves" end, when there is nothing more to discover.

Although the English Language fails to define it, there is a higher level of closeness in human relations..only small number of "loves"  can mature to achieve that level. That is the level at which parity yields to uniqness; two persons unite to become one being. Not all lovers can achieve that level, but once achieved they remain there forever.

Well of course it involves two parties, unless someone is big headed enough to fall head over heels for themselves :S

But don´t forget it´s not just love between "lovers" that I´m talking about but also the other kind of love you have for a family member or friend. I know in my life, there are certain people that I wouldn´t be here without and if I ever lost one of those people then I would be devastated because of the love of what I feel for them.