Like it or not, we are bombarded on a daily basis by proclamations that romance is the one thing that will make our lives complete. We croon to sappy songs about love gained and lost, sometimes as if that is all that matters in life. We tune in every week to The Bachelor as he searches for The One among a dozen women with supermodel good looks. We mesmerize our kids with stories of princesses pining for their one true love. Even as we sit transfixed by the computer-generated scenes of apocalyptic destructions in Hollywood blockbusters, we inevitably swoon when the hero and heroine ultimately lock their lips in a climatic embrace. Yes, love conquers all, even if the world was this close to coming to an end.

Or so it would seem.