RESOLVED: It is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.

INTROTrue love conquers all. This is an expression which most of you are undoubtedly familiar with. But to what extent does such an expression hold merit? For some, love is fleeting. For others, love is frequent. But regardless of the extent to which we've experienced love, many if not nearly all of us have experienced the swirling pain of lost. It is because of this feeling that many forgo the experience of love in the first place. However, it is my position that it is far bette to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.Greetings members of debate.org. My name is Logical-Master and I shall be representing the affirmative side in today's debate.To prove my case, I shall offer two contentions, both of which are individually sufficient to persuade you.#1. The experience of love and loss is an excellent source of maturity.#2. Love is awesome.I assume there is no need to offer definitions, but should there be a need, I reserve the right to leave such discussion in the comment section so that any such dispute may be resolved without interefering with the overall spirit of this debate.Without further ado, let us proceed.ARGUMENTContention #1: The experience of love and loss is an excellent source of maturity.Ever hear the phrase "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger"? In general, the sentiment behind this phrase holds true in life. Life is full of pain and dissapointment. But it's adjusting to the pain/dissapointment that makes us better off. Take for instance J.K. Rowling, the renowned author of the Harry Potter series. She got rejected not once, not twice, but twelve times by 12 different publishers (1).However, as pscyhothereapist, Phillip Hodson (from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy), points out, rejection shows you that the world can’t be taken for granted and that you have to fight for what you want (2). Moreover, it can make you more determined to prove your abilities, it sharpens your ­competitiveness and gives you an ­incentive to prove people wrong (3). Analogously, the same can be said about love and loss. Loss, whatever the cause, is a form of a rejection and has the potential to make one more insightful and stronger than before. In experiencing loss, one becomes more aware of the world and how life cannot be taken for granted. On the otherhand, one can just as easily spend the entirety of their time idely sitting in Plato's cave, convinced there is nothing to be found in the outside world, never knowing the joy that true love brings!Contention # 2: Love is awesome!In addition to what is gained from loss, there is much to be gained from love. That is, the experience of love brings about a peace and joy. It is well understood that love is good from an empirical standpoint. Indeed, there are numerous health benefits to being in love (4). One specific benefit, according to Dean Ornish, MD, is that "men and women who felt most loved and supported had substantially less blockage in their coronary arteries (5). Another is simply the jubilant effect it has on one's mind. One psychologist has described this feeling as "elevat[ing] us above the daily grind, allowing us to observe the world from a more exalted perspective . . . it adds a layer of luster to our mundane existence, making us feel empowered and self-connected even as it "decenters" us from our customary concerns. "(6).It is true that in experiencing love and loss, one automatically loses all of these benefits at one point. Howver, in never loving at all, one doesn't gain these benefits in the first place. Moreover, unlike the one who has experienced love and loss, the party that chooses to never love at all doesn't have the option of simply experiencing love (and thus these benefits) again in the future.CONCLUSIONBecause the benefits love and loss have to offer, tis better to have loved and lost than to never loved at all. With that said, I now await the response from my opponent, whom I wish the best of luck!SOURCES(1) http://www.dailymail.co.uk...(2) Id ( Id = above source).(3) Id.(4) http://www.yourtango.com... (5) http://loveandforgive.org... (6) http://www.psychologytoday.com...