Relationship that Lasts

If somebody tells you, "I'll love you for ever," will you believe it? 　　 

 

I don't think there's any reason not to. We are ready to believe such commitment at the moment, whatever change may happen afterwards. As for the belief in an everlasting¹ love, that's another thing.

 

Then you may be asked whether there is such a thing as an everlasting love. I'd answer I believe in it. But an everlasting love is not immutable³（不变的）.

 

You may unswervingly love or be loved by a person. But love will change its composition with the passage of time. It will not remain the same. In the course of your growth and as a result of your increased experience, love will become something different to you. 　　 

 

In the beginning you believed a fervent⁴ love for a person could last indefinitely. By and by, however, "fervent" gave way to "prosaic⁵（平凡的）" . Precisely⁶ because of this change it became possible for love to last. then what was meant by an everlasting love would eventually end up in a sort of interdependence.

 

We used to insist on the difference between love and liking⁷. The former seemed much more beautiful than the latter. One day, however, it turns out there's really no need to make such difference. Liking is actually a sort of love. By the same token, the everlasting interdependence is actually an everlasting love.

 

I wish I could believe there was somebody who would love me for ever. That's, as we all know, too romantic to be true. Instead, it will more often than not be a case of lasting² relationship.