Ah, the age-old debate. Innocent, ignorant bliss, or knowledge, with all its ecstasies and agonies? To be dumb and happy, or to be Wobbly Headed Bob?

I'm all for intellectual progression, myself. The way I see it, humankind has one mission in life: to learn and learn and learn, and never stop learning. I had a brilliant German teacher once who told me that the day you stop learning is the day you start dying. If you'll excuse the corny paraphrasing of a line from 'The Shawshank Redemption', I figure it's better to get busy learning.

In short, it's far better to have loved and lost.

Put it this way: to have never loved is like living in a flat, grey plain. You'll think you're happy because you've never known any different. It's like living on Dorothy's farm in 'The Wizard of Oz'.

Then you fall in love, and the movie turns into technicolour.

Yes, it really is that scary. Your house really did land on that witch over there, and those munchkins on your doorstep are for really reals, Toto. When you fall in love for the first time, it's frightening as all hell. You won't have a clue what's going on at first. Those are feelings you're feeling, and they sure feel weird.

But once you set out on that yellow brick road called love, you'll find the highest of joys, the lowest of sorrows, and the whole gamut of emotion in-between. Once you trust someone else with your heart, you'll learn more about yourself than you ever thought there was to know about you. That's right, Tin Man, you really had the heart all along! Who knew?

If it ends badly - if the Wicked Witch of the West sets her flying monkeys on you - you'll know better for next time. You'll be stronger, better equipped, and less scared. But if you reach the Emerald City in one piece, then by golly, you'll know that it was worth the trip.

It's tough. It's the toughest trip you'll ever go on, and no mistake. But you'll learn, and by the end, you'll know. And that's the point. A heart that's never been broken has never truly felt anything.