“He loved constantly, instantly, spontaneously, without thought or words. That’s what he taught me. Love is not something you think about, it is a state in which you dwell. That was his gift.” — Christopher Moore, Lamb.
A simple word, yet complex in reality. I love how the author, Christopher Moore, calls Love a gift in one of his quotes about love. It truly is the best gift you can give to yourself and others.
A pure and spontaneous emotion. Yet many find it exhausting and challenging to love others. They are afraid to open their minds and place their trust in someone else, open their hearts to being vulnerable and love, lest they get hurt.
But love is an essential aspect of our integral being. It is the magic key to the door that has several gifts in store. Where there is love, there is trust, faith, respect, patience, hope, kindness, forgiveness, and truth.
The key begins with the complete acceptance and love for the self. Self-love is not selfishness; it is kindness to yourself. Doesn’t charity begin at home? So start looking for love from within. Hug and love yourself every single day. Including those scars and flaws, some visible, many invisible.
But there’s a catch. Love without being attached, even to yourself. Since there is a thin line between kindness to yourself and narcissism. Too many people are consumed with loving themselves that they cannot see beyond their noses.
Narcissism and love cannot coexist. Narcissism loves to pick on the flaws in others and publicly ridicule them. It is sadism to gloat over someone’s weakness, disability, and failure and raise yourself up at the cost of someone’s sorrow.
Every one of us is flawed and broken. We make mistakes day in and day out. Maybe we can try to put ourselves in someone’s shoes and understand their journey. Maybe we’ll discover and learn something new; better still experience Love in an unexpected place. As someone wise rightly said, “It is nice to be important, but more important to be nice.”
Love is freedom. To love wholeheartedly without any expectations or attachment is the most liberating experience. Freedom from the aggrandizing importance of the self. Freedom from bias and the fear of loving others different from us.
Love sees everyone as equal. It is cognizant that we are all related, worthy of love, and construct humankind. Love is the essence of life, and one must never stop loving because of traumatic experiences.
It doesn’t mean we put on blinders and love everyone. It means adopting a holistic outlook and judging others from an objective space. With prudence, empathy, patience, and even hope. What’s there to life without love and hope after all?
Love is a courageous act in times of hatred, and it manifests in words and deeds of kindness and forgiveness. So love in all consciousness.