Is it moral to indulge unrequited love?

...This is the visage of the angelic-voiced Maria Callas

I'm beginning to believe I have developed a karmic/kismetic connection with the blogosphere. Once again, I was pondering a topic and randomly blog-hopping when I stumbled onto a post that would turn my hushless meta-voice into inspiration for a post of my own. I also believe I have a case of morality-on-the-brain (and I am highly unqualified to suffer from this vociferous affliction).

Please read beyond the disjointed introduction. The post all comes together in the end...as it all falls apart.

Is it moral to indulge unrequited love?

I love someone. I've loved this person for the longest time, lifetimes probably. I only recently realized that loving him was slowly creeping toward the fatal error of "falling in love".

"Well, why not fall in love?", you ask. That sounds like a beautiful thing, a blessing for a new year that is going your way.

Could be, maybe even should be. But this is one of those loves that garners him everything he needs or wants from me, provides me with an infinite supply of charitable karma points--but no tangible rewards, and uses up all of my social energy tokens (leaving me drained of the will to find a real relationship for myself).

Before I go on, let me say this in his defense: He has never offered me anything more than his friendship. In fact we have sort of had "that talk"...the one where he subtly lets me know I do not qualify for anything more. (Good love-puppy! You have defended him at your own expense very well...now get back to the point)>>>

Well, before I get to my point, let me share the beautiful post I stumbled upon:

From PM's World blog (http://peacefulmuslimah.wordpress.com/):

A Woman Scorned: Unrequited Love And An Avalanche 12/30/07

One of my favorite operas is a rare one — perhaps largely due to its competition from the likes of Puccini, Verdi, Wagner and Mozart — or perhaps because its most tragic scene, the finale in which the ill-fated love meets its demise in no less spectacular way than a Tyrolean avalanche is a stage manager’s nightmare. But nonetheless La Wally is the one opera I have wistfully dreamed of seeing once before I die.

The story might remind you of some of the early film classics: Wally, a young Alpine lass runs away to escape the marriage her father has arranged for her with Vicenzo Gellner. She falls in love with a huntsman Giuseppe Hagenbach from a nearby village who is engaged to another, while Vicenzo’s love remains steadfast and uinrequited. In a calculated flirtation to win Giuseppe away from his betrothed, Wally dances with him and allows him a kiss, not realizing that he is toying with her emotions with the full knowledge of the villagers. Once aware, she seeks retribution by sending Vicenzo to kill Giuseppe as a kind of proof of his love. He does so by pushing Giuseppe off a cliff, but upon hearing of the deed Wallly has second thoughts and rushes to the site, where miraculously she discsovers Giuseppe has survived. He recovers and pledges his love for her right there on the edge of that snowy, unstable ravine and just as he sets off to find a path down from the precipice he is overtaken by an avalanche at which point Wally leaps to her own snowy death.

Enjoy Ebben? ne andrò lontana by Maria Callas
[my addition of a YouTube link in place of PM's embedded (for space)...you should listen, it's captivating].

Starting Over with My Unrequited Point

Is it moral to indulge unrequited love?

My point is to ask if there is something selfishly over indulgent about letting another human feed off your energies--your generosities, your belief in and love for that other?

In my case, am I encouraging another being to take without the grace of giving in return?

Let me frame this by saying that I am not talking about reciprocity. This kind of giving, giving to indulge my own love interest, is not giving that begs for reciprocity--at least not in the tangible sense of the word. This is giving that seeks to bolster the other, without thought for favors done in return. (Though it most certainly may seek love-returned, even if not consciously.)

What are the karmic implications of fostering taking? Even if it is self-generated, what is the implication of helping another drain you?

Is this just the sewing of a future karmic nightmare for you both? You because you failed to love yourself; the other because they take advantage of what is given.

My switch to the proverbial "you", away from addressing myself and what I am doing, lets me know I have no answers to these questions. Maybe someone else can offer input.

I think the immorality is almost certainly my own.

I'll leave this topic to rest...at least for now.