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I almost never read old articles I’ve written after they’ve been published. Recently, however, I’ve found myself looking through some old posts and revising them because they seem to be relevant for conversations that are taking place now.
One conversation that always seems relevant is the conversation around love and our human experience of love in its various forms. Whether we’re talking about the heart palpitations of romantic love or the intense brotherly love men have for each other on the battlefield, love is very much a part of our daily experience.
Every day, I see people receiving and giving love, and I’m surrounded by love. Even though I never had my own children, I have two stepsons who are now married with their own families. Every Friday, I have the great fortune of going on “grandpa duty” with my youngest granddaughter.
Whenever I take her to a playground, I’m struck by how easily most of the children play and get along with each other, but I’m even more struck whenever I see a child pause their play to get a hug from his or her parents.
That simple act of pausing to get a “love fill-up” is so spontaneous I can only conclude love is a natural experience for every human. In other words, the experience of love, and the act of loving is as natural to us as breathing. Based on what I’ve seen, I believe that left to our own devices—without anyone telling us what to fear or who to hate—we human beings instinctively choose to love each other.
I don’t want to even speculate on the psychology behind that instinct, but I’m pretty sure that love is what drives us to find common ground, establish friendships, and build communities. Love transcends language, race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, and everything else that divides us.
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Mathematics may be the universal language of science, but love is the language of the Universe. Like the Force of Star Wars, love surrounds us, penetrates us, and binds us together. It creates understanding, eases communication, and inspires us to help each other.
Just as breathing is essential for physical our well-being, love is essential for our emotional health. If we stop breathing, we quickly suffer physical consequences up to and including death. If we stop loving, the emotional consequences can be just as severe. While me may not die a physical death, the emotional scarring that comes when we cut ourselves off from the natural experience of love can lead to all sorts of societal dysfunction.
There are those who would say that hate is the opposite of love. I disagree. What we label as “hate” is merely the absence of love. When we disconnect ourselves from our natural experience of love through fear, practiced thoughts, and beliefs, we feel that disconnection. We feel the absence of love so instinctively we seek to replace what we know is missing, but far too often, we look outside of ourselves for validation.
For many, the absence of love can be so overwhelming that they lash out. Their words and actions reflect their disconnection and distress, and in the most extreme cases, some will claim that their words and brutal acts are inspired by the Divine and that they are merely acting as tools of an angry Creator.
I, for one, don’t believe that anything Divine could be angry. Anger is a human construct, and it is a construct born out of fear and frustration. I, for one, choose to believe that we are adventurers. Our primary purpose isn’t to prove ourselves worthy but to learn, grow, have fun, and yes, love. We’re here to live our lives as we choose. What greater purpose is there than to be ourselves, to live and love, to grow and expand?
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When we love ourselves enough to listen to our inner guidance, to see to our own happiness first and foremost, we find that loving and serving others is automatic. We discover our common bonds, we share, we laugh, and we support unconditionally. That is our true nature.
So, remember: Love yourself, and you will instinctively love everyone around you. You can’t help it. It’s as natural as breathing.
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This post was originally published on AppioHunter.com and is republished with the author’s permission.
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Photo credit: Getty Images
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