Love thy neighbour as yourself is the litmus test of true love. Everyone wants to be loved but do we love others as we wish to be treated. Let’s take a look at what true love is!!

Reality Check: Let’s find out more about love!!

How would you like to be criticised, speak down on, cheated on and lied to? How would you like to be maltreated, belittled and controlled against your will? How would you like to be shouted at in private and public, abused verbally and beaten up physically? How would you like to be treated as inferior to others, interrupted when you speak and not listened to? Okay, pause and think about what I have said so far. Let’s continue……

How would you like to be denied access to life essentials and opportunities to liberate yourself? How would you like to be disrespected, labelled negatively, disregarded, bypassed for promotion? How would you like to be ignored

and not consulted on matters that affect you? How would you like to be rejected as unimportant and not significant enough to be considered? How would you like not to be given the opportunity to become the best version of yourself because of your skin colour, age, belief, gender and other factors? I can go on, but I should stop here.

The Response – let’s see what you think!!

The answer is simple; none of us would like to be treated in the above manner. We see ourselves as significant and deserving the best. We want to be treated right. We want to be treated with respect and dignity. We want to be treated as significant people and not bypassed for consultation in our family or workplace.

We want to be given the space to be ourselves without being harshly criticised. In summary, we want to be treated with the maximum respect no matter what. True friendship allows us to be ourselves and not subject us to restrictions that stifle the spirit. When we love, we rarely see defects in others. We want the others to feel happy and not sad. Even when we see flaws, we soften them and offer a soft approach for correction.

We never slander others we love. It is a sure sign we do not love them. We do not allow others to slander the people we care about. It is also a sign of lack of love. We will take a step to stop the slanderer and never tolerate it. Such is the power of love. When we love, we strive for harmony and never act in ways to create disunity or division.

Often, the inability to create a space for unity signifies our heart is closed, and we lack love. All our discontent and conflicts are signs of a lack of love. To love, our hearts must be opened to embrace the needs of others.

LOVE TEST- Do you love others as you love yourself?   

Okay, I have to confess; I try to live by this principle. However, I have found it takes God to help one to achieve it. I can never say I do this 100 per cent. But that is my goal to help bring love into our world. Now, let see how we genuinely behave towards others.

How do we know we love others? To the degree we treat them the way we want to be treated, we know we love others. We cannot claim we love someone but treat them harshly or slander them. We cannot claim we love others when we deceive and treat them with contempt. There is a spiritual law that binds all of us together. It goes by the name love your neighbour as yourself. To the degree we treat others as we want to be treated, we demonstrate love.

Spiritual Laws Of Love

But here is the sweet twist of the puzzle; many spiritual laws are operating in our world. What we give others, we receive. Why? You are tied to the thought you hold for others- whether good or bad. You cannot give love and receive hate. It is that simple.

All this means that we can multiply love in our lives by giving love abundantly and freely. Love is the universal language that shapes and governs us. One cannot love and not experience the same. Similarly, one cannot hate and not experience the same. Our relationships are indeed the building bridge for the happiness and love we seek.

Conclusion 

If we do not dish more love out, we should not expect more of it. In spirituality, love is defined as the power to let go of all the offences that others commit; otherwise known as love covers all transgression. If we do not develop this incredible capacity for love, we block ourselves from the force for success in all areas of life. Such is the power of love. So next time we relate to others, we should think about love and kindness.

CLICK HERE  to read the ‘Introduction Chapter’ of my book – A Conversation With The Sages