LOVE it’s what makes the world go round or so we’ve been told.
When our actions come from a place of love it’s supposed to make everything better but love is a complicated word with so many layers and intonations that one size definitely does not fit all.
Love is a double edged sword, I have seen many relationships, my own included, (human and canine) destroyed in the name of love. When we are dealing with an entity that cannot actually verbally tell us how they are feeling about what we are doing to them in the name of love, how do we know if they are feeling the same?
When our actions come from a place of love, we always have the best of intentions but the object of our affection may not be “feeling the love” we are trying to share. Take for example the well meaning stranger who effuses “oh I just love dogs” and then roughly grabs your unsuspecting canine companion and gives them slaps (which the stranger perceive as pats or cuddles) on the head and tries to hug them. If your dog has been desensitised to these situations then it’s not a problem but for anxious dogs or dogs who prefer to make up their own minds about strangers touching them this way, it can spell disaster.
We need to pair love with words like empathy, compassion, respect and trust if we truely want to elevate it to its highest form. Neediness, jealousy, control and status have no place in the arena of love. When love is good, it is wonderful but when is fades or sours it becomes unbearable. We need to focus on the good and joyful feelings that love brings us, all the while remembering that what brings joy to one individual doesn’t necessarily give it to another.
In these high tech days of instant gratification and shorter attention spans, we seem to have lost the ability to gauge others feelings. I love the fact that I can share my thoughts and feelings with other likeminded individuals through technology but I am aware that not everyone views the world as I do. It is my hope that one day the world will come together from a place of love and let go of the things that hold us back as a species. Cruelty, greed, violence and fear should all be traits that are left in the past and not perpetuated into our future generations. Strength has nothing to do with violence and it has been my experience in life that the truely strong among us do not resort to bullying or violence to get their point across. Violence (whether it be emotional, verbal or physical) comes from a place of weakness where love does not reside.
I am always overjoyed when I hear stories of triumph over adversity, where love, courage and empathy trumps hate, greed and fear. There is so much kindness in the world, hopefully it will overcome the meanest part of our nature and LOVE will truely “conquer all”.