The Difference Between Being Attached and Being in Love

Very often we confuse between two feelings which though similar in appearance, vary greatly in their depth. These two feelings are love and attachment. Though the two are used interchangeably with each other, to think they are the same would be a grave mistake indeed. A lot of times, what people assume to be true love could turn out to be merely attachment. Thus it is important that one knows the difference between the two so that they can save themselves from the hurt and the heartbreak that is bound to come when their supposed true love is revealed to be only attachment.

Love has deep and profound sentiments attached to it. There is no moderation in love. It brings happiness and desires, as well as sadness. It inspires one to reach beyond their limits. Love is felt intensely and will not fade away easily with the passing of time. Attachment on the other hand is much more flitting and less permanent than love. It is simply infatuation, and cannot hold its own for a long time. Any relationship built solely on attachment cannot hope to survive the challenges of life. It is destined to either fizzle away into nothingness or crash and burn vehemently.

Here are a few pointers which will better make you understand these two concepts.

#1

Attachment is easy, love is not. When you part ways with someone you were only attached to, you might not even feel anything. Love when it is lost leaves deep scars which can be felt for years afterwards.

#2

Love makes you thoughtful and mindful of the person you love.You’d always want only that which is in their best interests, even if it might not be easy for you. Attachment only thinks about itself. It can act quite selfish and cannot look beyond what others want; even if it may cause harm to the other person. For instance holding back someone from achieving what they can just because you are too scared of letting go.

#3

Attachment cannot think beyond its current focus. When youdon’t have the object of your attachment, you start feeling uncomfortable. Beyond that there are no problems because there really aren’t much complexities involved. Love however, by its very nature is complex.

#4

Love is freeing. Attachment demands being bound to each other.When two people truly love each other, they have enough faith to pursue their separate paths. Attachment however will get insecure. In love there is understanding and compromise when needed. In attachment there are only boundaries.

#5

Love means supporting your partner. It means having enough faith in them that even if they go away they’d always be yours. Attachment is not supportive like that. It only likes someone till they are within reach and do only what is of mutual interest.

#6

And finally, love will pass the test of time. Attachment will not.Attachments come and go quickly and one forgets about them easily. Not so the case with love. Love, when it’s true, is one of the few things in life which can be said to be eternal.