How to end TOXIC relationship to Romance

Britney Spears; Ginny Wong (SCMP, Jan. 5, 2022); Ashley Wells, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams enact ideas of romantic love (The Notebook, 2004)

Does love with spiritual fulfillment exist?

Let 2022 be the year we end our toxic relationship with romance. [What's the Buddhist view of romantic love?]

The media has, for years, sold the fantasy that the path to true love [and therefore true happiness and fulfillment] treads inevitably bumpy grounds.

I wanna chick who love my bod.

We’re addicted to the drama and if there isn’t any, it’s boring and dull. Nothing can ever be easy or pain-free.

Is it truly an epic romance film if there isn’t a scene where two people passionately declare their feelings for one another, or have a raging argument in the rain followed by a passionate make up kiss?

• HOLLYWOOD FORMULA: Boy meets girl (love at first sight). Boy loses girl (drama and tragedy). Boy wins girl back (happy ending). They ride off into the sunset (fantasy ignoring inconvenient truths after the honeymoon phase ends).

The Notebook (2004), we’re looking at you. The iconic 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s did it. Even in Cast Away (2000) there was a rain-sodden moment: “You’re the love of my life!” Helen Hunt proclaims to Tom Hanks – and we all swoon. (Or maybe that was just me?) More