Love. Such a beautiful word.
We are born with it. We are not taught how to love. It is our real nature. We come along with it.
We smile at our family and strangers alike.
We talk to anyone and everyone irrespective of their colour or race.
We trust people for who they are.
We forgive quickly.
We are just real, with no judgements, no gossip, and definitely no need to control anyone.
This is who we are when we were born – real and untainted.
Then a terrible thing happened.
We realised the world does not function this way. The world is sadly living in a manufactured definition of love.
Where we will be loved when we recite a poetry in front of our relatives.
Where we will be loved when we get certain percentage in schools and colleges.
Where we will be loved when we pursue a life choice that isn’t ours but of people who “love” us.
Where we will be loved when we agree to making “love” with a partner otherwise they will question our character.
Where we will be loved by our “friends” if and only if we gossip with them about other friends.
And if we do none of these and walk our own talk, we will not be loved.
Be like him.
Talk like her.
Look at what he has accomplished.
Words and people that were meant to make us rise, end up diminishing our self confidence infinitely.
And then we wonder why don’t we feel the love we used to feel as a kid.
At this point, each one of us has two choices:
- Fall for this manufactured definition of love, follow the norms others have laid down for you, and be someone who again gives manufactured love. But wait, you will have everyone there with you, to “love” you. Other than you.
- Be who you are, being respectful of others yet doing what you feel is right. Own your life, and take the steps that you want to take. It will be easier. But guess what? You will almost always be alone on this journey.
Most of us fall for the first one. Not because we cannot hear our inner voice. But because the external voices of manufactured love will stop coming to us if we love ourselves. And that’s scary.
Very few of us, very very few of us, who take the plunge to love ourselves, live a life of real luxury. There are roadblocks and hurdles at the start, but when you overcome them (and you always do), what comes out is You. Real You. Who is love. Not manufactured. Rather real love. And then solving all problems becomes a skill that gets compounded and works in your favour 🙂
Every single day, we have two choices – be the Real Love or fall for Manufactured Love. It is not a one-time choice. It is a daily choice.
The choices that we make daily, will determine how much real love we become.
And give to the people looking at us to show them how the world works.