"Unconditional Love"

Today, in my JROTC class, we had a small discussion over morals, loyalty, trustworthiness, etc and an issue came up that hit me hard. "Unconditional Love".

I was the only in the the discussion that didnt believe in Unconditional Love in any case.( Meaning there is no one that I know that I would unconditionaly love).

Every other person knew someone who they NO MATTER WHAT unconditionally loved.

How do you feel about this?

Originally posted by Elsek
Every other person knew someone who they NO MATTER WHAT unconditionally loved.

How do you feel about this?

My children. I can be elated, disappointed, whatever but that love is unconditional.

reply to post by intrepid


Say your son/daughter shot and killed someone you loved dearly (wife, best friend, parent)...how about then?

reply to post by Elsek


It's still possible to forgive him/her then... Although I can imagine how hard that can be.

Pope John Paul II once forgave the man who attempted to assassinate him.

Originally posted by Elsek
Say your son/daughter shot and killed someone you loved dearly (wife, best friend, parent)...how about then?

Yes, even then. That's the thing with being a parent. The love is unconditional. Sometimes that has to be tough love though.

reply to post by Elsek


What about someone you love that you are willing to give your life for? even though some people say thats selfish and there for not really unconditional love cause it would hurt the other person.

ask the people that said they believe in it again if the would still love someone. if they sacrificed virgins to the dark lord while killing a baby drowning a kitten burning a flag and slapping their mother. that person is either a liar a fool or a saint but not a normal person.

I love my wife very much and would do anything for her but there is a limit somewhere


peace

reply to post by intrepid


As I do not have children I couldn't at this point comment on how you feel, but thank you for your input.

reply to post by Elsek


Loving "someone" isn't unconditional love. The "someone" is already a condition for your love. If one has unconditional love, one wouldn't make difference between one's life companion, children and David Rockefeller

Unconditional love has no conditions, no terms, just love to all & everything & equally.

-v

As a child, I was anything *but* unconditionally loved. My father died while I was still a young teenager, but my mother has, over the years, realised that her way then benefited no one.

My own children though...I have to say that do love them unconditionally and I say that with no reservation nor hesitation whatsoever. That's not to say that I think they can do no wrong or that they are the most beautiful or the cleverest or in some other way semi-divine. But I am able to accept them for exactly who they are, to encourage that person to shine out and show that beauty to everyone around them. I don't want to mold them into someone else, into a mini-me or into the next because they are already just so fantastically *who they are* that there is no improvement needed - ever!

If only I could feel that way about myself. I know it comes from the harsh judgments, the harsh words, the harsh punishments for below-acceptable grades or for otherwise not performing to the standards of my perfectionist parents. But I am working on it and at the same time - and this is easy to add while you do this for yourself, btw - is to look around you and know that everyone else is the very best who they are too. Every day, we walk around in our skin trying to be better than we are, which is really just trying to fix something that's not broken. It's what Michael Jackson did to his fact to reflect how he felt inside. That's how mortifying it is to be loved *conditionally*.

Ask yourself: Who are you to judge? You are perfectly you. Everyone else is as perfectly who they are. Distortions occur when we succumb to fear. Lack of love is a painful thing. Do not perpetuate it.

When we say we love someone, we don't look into the why of it, but if we did we would realise that we do have conditions on offering that love to them. Even with children, although we do love them all the time no matter what, there are times when we don't feel so loving towards them.. we have to accept this as fact.

Unconditional Love has none of these things. We don't assess a person's level of Deservedness and then apply Unconditinal Love. We just offer Unconditonal Love to all people all the time.... this does not mean that we have to then accept poor behaviour from them.. we can still Love them Unconditionally and let them go their own way too.

There is only one true love and that is unconditional love.

You can be disappointed with something someone does, and still love them. You can feel that someone committed reprehensible acts, and still love that person.

If its not unconditional, it isn't love. Period.

Often times I think people confuse attachment and infatuation for love.

reply to post by v01i0


Your post just had a very profound effect on me, it just makes so much sense. I thought I had a pretty good meaning of unconditional love, but you're right, you cannot love someone unconditionally when that person itself is a condition.

There are many poeple in my life who I love dearly and would give my life for, but sometimes most of them are really easy to dislike (hate is too strong a word). I think it is possible to love unconditionally, but it has to start from within.

reply to post by Elsek


You love your kids, unconditionally, no matter what.

No-one else, as far as I am concerned.

reply to post by Jane_Doe1


Unconditional love is very hard thing.

In my opinion it is allright to sometimes dislike the people you love - if the love is on the base, and the dislike is just temporary perhaps due some stupid act they've done, I see no err.

Besides, love is not totally about tenderness and care, nor it is unconditional acceptance of stupid behaviour. If you love, you are also capable to punish.

-v