Self Love

We live in a society which holds in contempt anything which puts self before others and anyone who professes self love. Hypocrites we all are! How can we deny that all our lives we are running after accomplishing just one purpose alone, and, that is fulfillment of what we think should be, what we think is appropriate, what we think we deserve and what we like or love. All our lives are spent trying to love ourselves in one way or the other. Don't we even love others, to get the desired love in return? And, the moment somebody puts this concept of 'self love' in words, we shrink from it as if we have seen a ghost! Whom are we kidding really? Every single one of us puts ourselves above everybody else. We all love ourselves more than anybody else. And, if we believe otherwise, we haven't quite looked into ourselves truthfully and honestly.

One can debate against the concept of self love by exemplifying the love of a parent toward the child. That is as easily explained and is as simple as the love between them...a parent looks at the child as a part, an extension of oneself. Apparently, they are loving someone else more than themselves...but are they really, even when it comes to the most profound of loves that is known to mankind?? The moment that feeling is lost, it becomes like any other relationship, fraught with conditions and compromises. Every other relationship is built on the premise of getting something back in return, and if that is absent, it loses its charm!

To address the issue of loving someone other than the self, and achieve that "unconditional love" we so idealize, one has to realize that loving others completely is only possible if one accepts them in totality. And, that acceptance won't be there unless we accept ourselves first. Once we accept and love ourselves with all our faults and imperfections notwithstanding, then only we will be in a position to embrace any other with their set of quirks and flaws. To create room for others, we got to clear our mess first. Once the order within the self is achieved, we can expect to move onto others.

So, to cut to the chase, You know not what love and life really is, unless you love yourself wholly & completely. You cannot really know about something without experiencing it on a deep personal level and that depth is found only within our own self. On the flip side, it also helps us build healthy alliances in life. It gives us the ability to recognize that which is contrived, unreal and unworthy of attention. Otherwise, if you yourself do not know your worth, you will not realize when you are being taken for a ride or taken for granted, by a person or in a life situation! This will cause unnecessary diversions in life, which will hinder your growth and purpose of being here...

So, begin by accepting the innate need to love yourself. In any case, you are doing just that, every single moment of your life. Bring it into your awareness because accepting this simple truth is only going to expedite the process...and, that is for the good of everybody else involved. Cultivate Self Love to streamline your life and to be able to love others in the purest of forms...