What’s the importance of love? Where can you find love in life?
According to David R. Hawkins, love is a way of life. Everywhere you look, you can find love transforming people’s lives and improving their self-esteem.
Check out more about why love is one of the most vital emotions for humans.
Why Love Is Important
What does Hawkins say is the importance of love? Hawkins asserts that love is more than just a high-frequency emotion—it’s a way of life. Whenever you offer love and kindness to other beings, you’re improving the world around you. Putting out love freely also means that it’ll come back to you freely.
(Shortform note: In The Secret, Byrne suggests offering praises and blessings to show love to the people and the world around you. Do this for everything and everyone, even people you view as enemies. One way to act on this advice is loving-kindness meditation, a common Buddhist practice. Visualize someone you love, someone you feel neutral about, and someone you dislike, and offer the same blessings to each. For example, you might offer the blessing “May you experience joy, safety, love, and peace” to each person.)
Once you’re no longer holding on to your negative emotions, you realize that love is everywhere, just waiting to be discovered, and it can manifest in countless ways. For example, love can be found in a teacher letting a tired student sleep in class because the student’s struggling at home, or a friend taking the time to listen to your favorite song. When you exist in a state of love, your presence and actions encourage the people around you to be better, too—to be calmer, more considerate, more patient, and so on.
On an individual level, love makes it easier for you to forgive yourself for perceived faults. You’re able to accept yourself as you are. Additionally, it becomes easier to feel grateful to be alive and thankful for the things that bring you joy and happiness. Thus, your life becomes better, and you make other people’s lives better.
(Shortform note: Some studies indicate that practicing gratitude every day is linked to a lower risk of depression, anxiety, and addiction. Likewise, research suggests that it makes people more resilient after experiencing a traumatic event. Finally, expressing gratitude (and thus love) is linked to better connections with loved ones and increased relationship satisfaction.)
| The Power of Self-Love Byrne argues in The Secret that the most important manifestation of love is self-love. When you don’t treat yourself the way you want others to treat you, you’re sending a powerful message: “I’m not worthy. I’m not deserving.” You’ll broadcast those messages to the world, and the people, situations, or events that are drawn to you will reflect those thoughts. Therefore, to see love everywhere, you must offer it to yourself. To practice self-love, consider choosing a hobby that you can dive into. Take time to explore your interests, creativity, and joy without the pressure of having to be good at it. Additionally, show yourself love by paying attention to your body. Instead of constantly pushing your limits, thinking of your body as a tool, and only making changes when something goes wrong, take care of it at all times. This might mean planning more rest every day, eating healthy, nourishing foods, or incorporating more movement into your routine. |
