"Is platonic love the same kind of relationships and feelings as friendship?"

The term "platonic love" has existed from the very early times: during the lives of Plato and Socrat it was used to denote "chaste but erotic pedagogic friendships with youths", in the fifteenth century people understood it as "a love focused on the beauty of a person’s character and intelligence rather than on their physical charms". And what about the 21 st century? What does it mean now? And does it exist nowadays?
Today this tirm can be defined as an affectonate and spiritual love between persons of two opposite sexes. Some people consider platonic love not to be tied in with our real life, that these are two incompatible things.Other people think that platonic love does exists on the basis of the fact that a woman is not ready to start sexual relationships with a man.
As for my point of view, I think that platonic love can be levelled to a friendship 'cause one doesn't have any sexual contact, just spiritual merging. But sometimes this form of relationships may develop into a perfect feeling. So, noone can predict when you are stroked with a true,sincere love that may suddenly sneak up to you... =)