Reflections on Love - Part 1
Love, most of us feel, should be at the very heart of our thinking, our decision making, and our actions; in fact, at the heart of our living and being. But what is love?
Love is understanding - understanding people and events in context; understanding that we are all, each in our own way, searching for meaning and truth; that we are all reservoirs of vast and varied potential; that we are all divine in nature, learning souls journeying back to their source; that all circumstances and events are soil and seeds to help us grow.
When we understand why and how people and things are the way they are, hatred and prejudice (in other words, love-lessness) simply cannot exist. Where there is perfect understanding, there can be none other than perfect love.
And what of self- love? I also need to love myself - as I am. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of saying: I’ll love myself if I change to become this, or if I stop doing that, or when I’ve improved this in myself, or when others accept and love me.
But ifs and whens spell conditional love. And as soon as I put conditions on loving myself or others, I’ll be disappointed every time, and I’ll never truly love.
I need to love myself as I am, with all my shortcomings and doubts and fears. For although I may be able to overcome these, loving starts long before that. Loving starts now!
For I am unique, special - as we all are. I have a wonderful contribution to make in this world - as we all do. Within me there is potential. Within me resides love. I love myself, therefore I am able to love others.
Source
Extracted and adapted from the unpublished personal diaries of Wayne Visser