Where’s The Love?
The world in all its glory is in a state of chaos. Unnecessary war in the Ukraine, gas prices that are simply ridiculous, and rising food bills that are through the roof! We are all aware of these unfortunate circumstances. So how can we forge ahead and think positively?
We complain, we are angry and we have forgotten to be grateful for the little things. Why? Because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of not having enough money to feed our families. Fear of losing our sense of hope.
Having hope is essentially the one emotion that keeps us going. When fear takes control, we lose that hope. We have all heard the saying that the opposite of fear is love. Whether conscious of our fears or not, I think that most of us agree, that we need more love. I am not referring to romantic love, although that is of course a beautiful thing to have. Love in the sense of loving-kindness, respect, and empathy for our fellow humans.
“All you need is love.”
The Beatles
It begins with self-love
Have you ever come into contact with somebody and just known that they are miserable? They don’t even have to say a word. It’s their energy. They may be angry, depressed, anxious or any other “negative” emotions you can list. The person may not even realize that they are putting out this vibe. I try not to judge. I’ve been there. They most likely do not have love in their lives or are going through a particularly tough time. It is likely that they are lacking self-love as well. Send them love through your thoughts.
Before we can experience unconditional and authentic love, we need to love ourselves. Yes, with all our flaws, obsessions, shortcomings, and so forth. Self-love is a state of appreciation for yourself. It develops from actions that support our well-being and spiritual growth. Self-love means taking care of your own needs without attachments to pleasing others. Self-love is not settling for less than you deserve.
Self-love does not mean disregarding others and becoming selfish. On the contrary, when we feel our own love within, we can share it with so much joy!
