"What Love is Not," Part 1

To the extent to which you know yourself, and we are all more like alike than different, you can know others. When you love yourself, you will love others. And to the depth and extent to which you can love yourself, only to that depth and extent will you be able to love others...

Love yourself, accept yourself, forgive yourself, and be good to yourself, because with you the rest of us [wont] have a source of many wonderful things.

Love does not seek attention.

Attention is to focus on someone or something that evokes interest; to select or to narrow down one's response for the purpose of awereness; to put a person, a thing or an idea into notice.

And we human beings, more often than not, want attention.

Why?

Because it is part and parcel of us to be needed, validated, or perhaps, valued.

If we want to look attractive for a friend's birthday party, for instance, we dress up gorgeously. And we want someone or everyone to recognise us.

If we want to be famous and make our works be known by all, we do all sort of things to be acknowledged.

We do things to feel that we belong with the "crowd".

We dance their own music.

We sing their own songs.

We watch their own movies.

We speak their own language.

I'm not saying though that seeking attention is outrightly wrong. But, in most cases, we exert too much just to be someone we are not.

Consequently, we lose sight of who we really are.

When this happens, pretensions and fabrications become evident.

We hide in fear of being judged.

Slowly, self esteem diminishes.

Insecurities creep in.

But, what do these things, then, got to do with love?

When the lover does not find values in him, the beloved becomes invaluable too. It is because one can't give what one doesn't possess. "To love others," says Leo Buscaglia,"you must first love yourself." He expounds,

To the extent to which you know yourself, and we are all more like alike than different, you can know others. When you love yourself, you will love others. And to the depth and extent to which you can love yourself, only to that depth and extent will you be able to love others...

Love yourself, accept yourself, forgive yourself, and be good to yourself, because with you the rest of us [wont] have a source of many wonderful things.

As it should be, if you have found that value within, never be bothered of other people's impression on you nor chase recognition from them. For love is always effortless and, like all beautiful things in the world, it does not seek attention.

03.11.2020

02:35 PM