Once upon a time, there was love

Time blows like a wind that consumes everything, eroding every memory. It changes the roads beneath our feet, peels the paint off the walls, and returns our voices with different echoes. Yet, there are some loves that do not succumb to time—loves that resist being forgotten, refuse to fade away, and, even if they wither, never lose their essence.

Today, everything happens too fast. People barely have time to lose themselves in each other’s eyes before they brush against lives with just their fingertips. Words lose their meaning, and emotions are confined to the surface. Once upon a time, letters were written, and lines filled with longing were awaited for months. Now, an unread message can be enough reason for a breakup. There is no waiting, no patience, no fighting for love. Even the fire of passion turns to ashes in less than a day.

Yet in the past, not even time could defeat love. A single touch could lay the foundation for years of yearning. Gazes spoke, and silences told stories. Even if lovers could not be together, they kept each other alive in their memories. To carry a love was to dedicate a lifetime to it. But now, love has become a fleeting pleasure, a momentary thrill. Is it just the era that has changed, or is it us? Instead of feeling, we now strive to possess. It is no longer about capturing the moment, sharing it, or cherishing it—it is about displaying it.

Once, there were hearts that burnt with love. People who waited for years for a reunion, who abandoned cities for their beloved, who never gave up on love even if they could never be together. Love was a test, and only those who endured were rewarded. Now, the smallest obstacle, the slightest misunderstanding, leads to farewell. Love’s weight has been lightened, emotions condemned to swift oblivion. Names once thought unforgettable are erased to make room for the next on the list.

Yet, a lifetime is too short even for a single great love. The heart may beat thousands of times, but sometimes, it truly beats only for one person. Loves that defy time write their own stories by their own laws. There are loves that, even if they never unite, neither their names are erased nor their places in hearts change. For some, separation kills love. For others, love is a miracle that survives despite every blow time delivers.

What a pity for modern love... Quick to start, hastily consumed, ending in an instant, leaving no trace. A few photos, a few sweet words, a few fleeting moments of excitement... and then, oblivion. These loves are not prisoners of time but of speed. How tragic that while old loves leave behind letters, poems, and buried secrets, new loves leave only deleted messages and empty social media profiles.

Yet, love only becomes real if it is worth telling for centuries. If it keeps you awake at night, if a single note of an old song fills your eyes with tears, if a street corner can take you back in time—then that love has defied time.

Today, I salute the loves that time could not defeat—the yellowed pages of old letters, the sacredness of waiting, the reunion earned through patience. And I mourn today’s fleeting romances, the momentary thrills, the loves that are so quickly forgotten. Because love is not a mere spark that lasts a second; it is a fire meant to burn for a lifetime. And some fires are too powerful for even time to extinguish.

With Love and Respect,

Burak Anaturk.

Burak Anaturk is a professional civil engineer. He focuses on sharing lessons from his life experiences, exploring diverse perspectives, and discussing personal development topics.
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