Unconditional Love


I woke up to Backstreet Boys' "As Long As You Love me" at 5:20 this morning (only a few hours ago now), and while I was brushing my teeth, I pondered the lyrics of the song as though it were the first time I had heard it, when really, I've listened to it umpteen times. Anyway, here are partial lyrics of the song:

Although loneliness has always been a friend of mine
I'm leavin' my life in your hands
People say I'm crazy and that I am blind
Risking it all in a glance
And how you got me blind is still a mystery
I can't get you out of my head
Don't care what is written in your history
As long as you're here with me

I don't care who you are
Where you're from
What you did
As long as you love me
Who you are
Where you're from
Don't care what you did
As long as you love me

Every little thing that you have said and done
Feels like it's deep within me
Doesn't really matter if you're on the run
It seems like we're meant to be

"As Long As You Love Me"--I'll analyze this from a first person point of view just for pronoun simplicity's sake. How could I not care what is written in your history or what you have done? Sure, love could blind me as I'm in the process of falling in it, but eventually, I'm going to care what you've done. In fact, I probably do care what you have done. And I do care where you are from. I care because and despite that you love me. What you did and where you're from constitute who you are today, and I cannot ignore those factors.
If you've committed a crime in the past, if you're fresh from prison, I care, because chances are, even if you aren't of that character now, you will be tempted to stray toward it in the future.
And I cannot leave my life in your hands, no matter how lonely I have been. I cannot risk it all in a glance and let you blind me completely, allowing the only condition to be that you love me. People change, and feelings evolve along with them. How could I trust you or anybody else to hold all of me and not care about your past when you could so easily say that you love me?
And how am I supposed to know that you and I are meant to be? How can you prove this? Isn't that vague phrase merely an excuse for people to stay together?

Alternatively, I recognize how astoundingly generous and selfless such unconditional love is. My unconditional love for you prompts me to give you all of me, trusting you despite your history. Love me, and I need nothing else; I'll give you everything. I will not hold you to anything or hold anything against you.
...It's very hard for me to take this position, because I can't understand romantic unconditional love. Perhaps this points out the fact that I'm still too selfish--not necessarily in negative terms--to not have any conditions for love. Or perhaps I'm just sensible. I admit that though I tried to analyze it, I don't understand this "I don't care... as long as you love me" thing, because for (people like) me, it's so hard to not care, and I can't fathom being completely blinded by love on top of that.

This could mean I'm bitter and cynical. Or this could mean I'm realistic and reasonable. Or it could mean all of the above. I just hope that one day, I will get to understand, experience, and provide unconditional love--while maintaining a clear vision of reality.
Is that too unrealistic?
If so, then love must not be real.

...Nah.

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