All We Need is Awareness

In our culture, many of us idealize love. We see it as some sort of cure - for all life's problems.

In our movies and stories and throughout history everyone celebrates it as life's ultimate goal, the answer to all of our pain and struggle.

And because we idealize love, we overestimate it. As a result, our relationships pay a price.

When we believe "All we need is Love", we are more than likely to ignore fundamental values such as respect, humility and commitment towards the people we care about.

After all, if Love solves everything, then why bother with all the other stuff-- all of the hard stuff?

But if we believe that "Love is not enough", then we understand that healthy relationships require more than pure emotion or lofty passions.We understand that there are things more important in our lives and our relationships than simply being in love.

And the success of our relationships hinges on these deeper and more important values.

The real problem in idealizing love is that it causes us to develop unrealistic expectations and thus sabotage the very relationships we hold dear in the first place.

In loving relationships, it is normal for both people to occasionally sacrifice their own desires, their own needs, and their own time for another.But when it comes to sacrificing one's self respect, one's dignity, one's physical body, then that kind of love becomes problematic.

The reality is that Love is a wonderful experience. It is one of the greatest experiences life has to offer. And it is something everyone can aspire to experience and enjoy. Yet you need more in life than Love: Love is great. Love is necessary. Love is beautiful. But Love is not enough....

FΩRMIdea Lisbon, 27th September 2017.