This is a very difficult question and the answer is purely an individual response based on personal experiences. I have always wondered what true love really is and I think that if we could answer this question, it would make the previous much easier to handle. I don't think people should ever feel guilty about their emotions concerning a particular person or experience. Further I don't think people should feel guilty about what they've done, about the choices they have made, or about the direction they chose to go in life. (Note: I am a hypocrite because guilt consumes me 24 hours a day.) We all have done things we regret, or maybe we haven't. But it is our experiences, whether good or bad, joyful or painful, hilarious or embarassing that help define us and mold us into the people we are. If someone feels they have lost something in their lives because they fucked up, because looking back on the situation now they regret what was said or what was done, they must search to find the positive result, for there is always a positive element to any given situation. The positive result being, in most cases, the recognition of "wrongs" committed either by or against that individual, and the new found appreciation for such things in the future. "I fucked this up, I let you go without a fight, I won't let that happen again." I think when you love someone you are always comparing them to other people in your life or that have touched your life in some way at some point in time. How can you not? Ask yourself how many times you've met someone that reminded you of someone else, even in the smallest way. Now perhaps that person they remind you of was immensely close to you, and you loved that person. This fact should not take away from how you may feel about the person you have just met, and it most definately shouldn't make you feel guilty. I suppose one might possibly feel guilty becasue it may seem that it is not really this new person that they love, but rather, just the aspects of that person that remind them of someone special from their past. However, we as individuals have certain things in common and to feel guilty about seeing that something inside someone else shouldn't be a bad thing, it should be a beautiful thing. So, is it really, truly, genuinely possible to love someone without guilt? Yes it is. There is nothing wrong with enjoying someone's company because they make you feel as good as someone you once knew. More importantly, this doesn't rob that person of their individuality, becasue as previously stated, commonalities between people exist. We can't escape this. What we can control is our reaction to this. There is a lot of love out there, so seek it out, let it find you, but never, ever feel guilty about it.
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