Expectations, ultimatums, attachments, fears, power-plays, abuse, disrespect, and other ego-fueled transactional behaviors represent an absence of Love, not the presence of it.
Do not lie to yourself or others, or let others lie to you or themselves in your relationships through your participation in unhealthy connections.
If you do not Love “others” as a part of your Self, and they do not naturally do the same, you bind/use others as objects for your ego gratification in your relationships (from family units, to coworkers/employees, to romantic partnerships, and so forth), and this keeps both you and “others” trapped in the perpetual cycle of karma and suffering that keeps you attached to misery and lower expressions in the world.
Love for another is only Real when there is no “other.”
Love that is unconditional and selfless is the only True Love, and it is liberating and free. Everything else is transactional bondage that will surly create or maintain suffering (emotional and otherwise) in relationships and in the world.
If you are compelled to do so for whatever reason, ensure that you know how to fully Love yourself/your Self, and know how to do so unconditionally and selflessly first before recruiting others to expand your “love” out into the world. It should be obvious by now, but people are not objects for ego-body-mind agenda fulfillment and/or gratification.
This represents a foundational practice of Yama and Niyama in your relationships and in your life. If you recruit others for “love,” or any variation of it, always ensure that you do so from a place of freedom and not bondage for your sake and theirs. Strive to begin every connection with Ahimsa if you wish to expand your connection out into the world.
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