Truth About ‘Unconditional’ Love And The Difference Between Conditional Love
Some argue that there’s no such thing as “unconditional love” and I argue that there is, but I do appreciate your position since, after all, to love someone requires the condition that you’re able to love them.
I’m not an advocate that you should love everybody, all the time, always. I think that’s heinous and insane. So in that sense, you can’t have unconditional, blanket “love.”
The unconditional love which I’m referring is one you have once you’ve considered someone as worthy of your love. Love – that deep affection, whether sexual or platonic or professional – you get from a combination of different experiences and combinations of affection, value, respect, admiration, arousal, adoration, cooperation, etc. It’s different for everyone.
Once you have that love which you’ve assessed and felt is appropriate for that individual, you can love them unconditionally by simply loving them for being them *without conditions or stipulations* (aside from the understanding they will always be ‘them’ and sometimes, their being ‘them’ CAN change (things like mind-altering drugs) at which point may be worth reconsidering their being love-worthy).
The critical distinction is the aspect where, tragically, what most people consider as love is *conditional* for the reason that love would only persist when stipulations are in place – things like sexual exclusivity, requited love, proximity, etc. This is what I refer as conditional love.
This simple idea must become axiomatic to you. Love has to be your genuine wanting for their happiness, well-being and actualization (whether or not you’re involved).
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What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments!