UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

The Purest Desire of a Child...

The need to be loved,

And deep inside, the need of all humanity.

How much do we do just to be loved?

How much of ourselves do we give away?

We think that if we become the kind of child the people raising us want, they will love us.

At some point in our childhood, we learn conditional love.

Whenever we do something that is not approved by those who raise us, their reactions make us feel unloved.

Perhaps we only feel their love when we behave as they want us to...

When we are a "good" child...

And because of this, no matter how old we get, we believe that the person in front of us will only love us if we become who they want us to be.

In return, we also—whether consciously or unconsciously—threaten others with:"If you are the way I want you to be, I will continue to love you."

And once again, just to be loved, we wear masks in human relationships.

According to our own perception and/or society's perception...

A variety of masks, in different colors, different patterns...

And perhaps, the only reason behind all these masks is:

The deep-seated belief that we are not lovable as we are...

We show the parts of ourselves that are "lovable" and hide the parts that are not.

That is exactly why, in the journey of self-work, accepting one's shadow sides is crucial. Without bringing those "unlovable" sides into awareness and embracing them, one cannot truly transform.

This does not mean saying, "This is just who I am," and continuing to live and die as we are. A person should always continue their existential evolution and strive to become a better version of themselves. However, the first step in transforming one's shadow sides and negative traits is to accept them.

Almost all of humanity, whether knowingly or unknowingly, seems to have collaborated in teaching conditional love to every newborn.

And one day, at some point in life—perhaps by being loved unconditionally, perhaps by loving a flower, an animal, or a person unconditionally, or maybe by learning to love ourselves unconditionally—we get to experience another form of love.

I wish everyone a lifetime where they get to taste unconditional love with a living being.

Gökçe YILMAZ