Humans can be tough creatures. Attack my health, and I can recover. Attack my job or finances, and I can find a way to pull through. Attack my pride and I grow thicker skin.

But wound my heart, and you leave me devastated.

Few things in this world hurt like a broken heart. It's the blow that you never see coming: a longtime friend turns their back on you. Someone you love rejects you. Somebody you've let into the deepest, most private corners of your heart says or does something to hurt you where you're most vulnerable.

Maybe somebody hurt you out of spite, and you're reeling from the betrayal. Or maybe a heart-wrenching breakup or the loss of a loved one has you feeling empty and alone.

Painful as it is, the broken heart is here to stay. It's part of being human, and it's a sometimes bitter reminder of how important our relationships are to us. Our need to connect with other people is hardwired into us. And that's the heart of the problem--we're forming relationships with people, who sometimes make mistakes, act cruelly, or just go away.

So is the solution to avoid other people altogether, to harden our hearts against relationships that might disappoint or hurt us? Are we willing to throw out the joy that relationships can bring to avoid the possibility of pain down the road? Is it possible to experience love without the fear of loss and hurt, without the fear that we'll be let down in the end? Can we find love that doesn't have strings attached?

That's the heart of the question, isn't it? So what's the answer? Take a look through the articles and links on this page and see what today's thinkers and writers have to say about broken hearts and love without conditions.