Yeah, I get what you're saying. It looks to you like it's a sure thing -- if you fall in love, one or more of those terrible things will happen, and you'll suffer.
I would like to point out that all that is is a thought in your head. It's worth examining, don't you think? If you approach romantic love with the question in mind: "why bother, cuz I'm just going to end up suffering" -- you can see what you are creating there, I think. Just like in any other area of your life. Romantic love doesn't have to equal suffering, I promise you from a somewhat more experienced point of view. And also: the suffering that sometimes occurs in romantic love does not have to be something you must avoid in order to be in love with your life. I mean: going through the pain of romantic love can help you learn what you need to learn, and you can end up being grateful for it, and living it can help you see that suffering is unnecessary. (it's hard to learn that last lesson if you never have suffered!)
Most of all: the rewards you reap when you courageously and willfully love someone are tremendous, and you don't know what they are until you do it. D'oh!
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