Is Platonic Love the Same Kind of Feelings and Relations as Frienship?

What is platonic love indeed? Friendship or a clear spiritual feeling? Does it exist now? And can we recognize it? Or maybe, it was lost somewhere in the past, when high spiritual ideals really had their true value within the society?
Let us attempt at giving the basic definitions of platonic love. Wikipedia gives the following interpretation of the term: “Platonic love (Latin: amor platonicus) is a deep and spiritual connection between two individuals: within such a relationship there does not exist any form of sexual connection or sexual elements.” In its original Platonic form, this love was a sublimated pederastic eroticism. The force of desire was meant to be harnessed for pedagogical purposes, bringing the man and the boy closer to wisdom and the Platonic Form of Beauty. Plato emphasized chastity in the case of homoerotic attraction, but suggested that recognition of beauty in a person of the same sex may still serve the aim of inspiration. At the same time, Ambrose Bierce, or Bitter Bierce as the world calls this American satirist, may define Platonic love as “a fool’s name for the affection between disability and a frost."
Today the term admits relations between opposite sexes. But our modern society looks down on platonic relations, wondering suspiciously whether physical attraction between opposite sexes can be omitted, whether platonic relationships (love and friendship) really exist between a man and a woman. This misconception is brought by inability of the society to understand, that platonic love is another kind of relationship where sexual needs are transformed into other forms of attraction- this is a spiritual bond between two people. This is love that exists beyond body’s needs.
Platonic lovers are absolutely different type of lovers; they are not passive as many can think. In platonic relations emotional and intellectual spheres dominate over passion and physics. Such lovers enjoy each other’s company, thoughts and imagination. They idealize each other’s personal traits. Their love lives inside of them, rather than outside. And indeed this love is an allusion, which has inspired poets and artists of all times.
As for me, platonic love is a close spiritual bond between two people, no matter whether they are of the same sex or not. But, it has to be distinguished form the notion of “just friendship”, for me these are absolutely different things. It isn’t necessary to love all your friends. Platonic love is something much deeper that friendship. It is a special spiritual link between two people. And I am very glad that I haven’t got any platonic lovers. I prefer being in normal love or friendly relationships with someone of the opposite sex, otherwise it would be so difficult to divorce my feelings from platonic and just love and friendly. But I am sure that nothing makes romantic relationship more fruitful than being lovers and friends at the same time.