An action which results inevitably in pain and suffering is an action that we’d be fools to take. I know that diving headfirst down the stairs is going to hurt; I don’t do it. There are numerous other examples of things we could do but don’t because we know that we’ll get hurt. But there are exceptions too.
For example, we can choose to endure pain and suffering because it exempts others from the same experience. Bodyguards put themselves in physical jeopardy to protect the person they’re employed to guard. Parents sacrifice a great amount of resources to improve the lives of their children. And many of us choose to love someone else.
Love? Yes. From the perspective of expected pain and suffering, love is the realm of the fool. Think about it. Love can remain un-reciprocated. Or, if it is reciprocated, the person who reciprocates it is still vulnerable to the trials of life. For instance, two people who are in love are guaranteed to endure pain. One of them will stop loving the other, at some point, or one of them will likely die and the other has to live on.
Love is, amongst many other things, a guarantee of future pain. And yet we still give our hearts to others.
Is that wise or foolish?
Swell & Cut 