Does Unconditional Love Really Exist?

With the advent of the holidays near I think this question is one that would be interesting to get some personal input on.

Some will ask for the definition of love, some think they already know what love is, and coupled with our current way of life can we ever truly discover, experience, or extend a thing called unconditional love?

Your input, examples, life experiences, and responses are all welcomed here, no wrongs or rights just what you believe it is, or if it can even be achieved.





Peace and Love,

RT

reply to post by Realtruth


Love itself is always unconditional.

It's just that we attach it to things.

Unconditional love definitely exists, we experience it every day. Everyone loves themselves unconditionally (or at least they should), now if we could only get them to extend that to everyone else as well, we'd be in a lot better situation right now.

Yes, it certainly does. Look at the relationship of a dog to its master. The owner could be the most despicable person on the planet, but that dog will still be happy to see his master when he gets home. Heck, you could be executing people right in front of the dog and it will still love you the same afterwards. THAT is unconditional love. Now if we change your original question to "Does unconditional love exist in humans?" then I wouldn't be so sure.

Unconditional love to me is love without any expectation.

Desire has nothing to do with love.

So honoring the unique individuality that exists outside of self without judgement.

Unconditional love strikes me as a suicidal trait. You will lose everything if you love everyone without limit or exception, because this world is full of people willing to take advantage until you are a dry shriveled husk incapable of helping yourself.

You have to be capable of, and willing to, draw the line at some point if you wish to survive at all.

I'm going a different aproach than the previous responses.

"Love" should not have "condition's", I only love you when you display x, y ,z behaviors. This type of disfunction (that's what it is people) is and does exist with certain individuals.

As other's have responded, Agape (look up the definition if you don't know the meaning) and unconditional love is very much so real.

Personal experiances of conditional and unconditional love.

Unconditional~
I wasn't the best child growing up, yet my parents loved me irregardless and even when they dealt punishment it was only because they loved, and wanted only the best for there son and children.

Conditional~
Young couples tend to show this moreso than older. A girlfriend/boyfriend, only loves you when you do x, y, z.

I've experianced both in this world, and the one I choose to display is Unconditional, even to those I, well blatently give a rats arse about, even though I don't agree doesn't mean I "hate" them, just means I have to work on my love and learning to love the parts of humanity that I don't personally agree with.

A wise man once stated to me, "that me and your mother never got a long 100% of the time, there were some days where we could kill each other and on those days, we both had to work on loving each"

It's unfortunate that they divorced 25yrs later...

Anyways, some random thoughts of love conditional and unconditional.

Best regards...

Unconditional love is not something someone can do.
Existence, reality, what this is - is arising presently - it is arising without condition.

Unconditional love is all that exists but there is a feeling there is something else and that is the conflict.

i heard a tale about an american Indian elder, talking to a child
not sure of where i heard it but it explains WHY we need unconditional love in our lives

"elder"
there are two wolves inside each man or woman,
one is called love,
the other is called hate,
and they battle over your soul every day,
"child"
which one will win?
"elder"
which ever one you feed!

without unconditional love, we tend to feed hate,

xploder

Many years ago, a friend told me there is no difference between unconditional love and radical acceptance. Always thought it was a neat idea.

I do believe it exists.

I find it very intriguing how many immediately think it means you give EVERYTHING of yourself to EVERYONE. That isnt very "loving" in a universal equation, so would not be indicative of the subject at hand (imo, of course).

The answers thus far are very enlightening and well thought out.

We appear to be unconditionally sharing our time, thoughts, and wisdom with everyone here on ATS and if that is a sign unconditional love, then it's a good start.

Peace,

RT

Yes. I loved my father unconditionally and he loved me the same way. He was a good father. I was very lucky.

"Unconditional love" is right up there with "eternal life" and "infinite light". They are expression used to convey a concept that cannot actually be quantified or grasped, only imagined. There comes a point at which our perceptive skills are exceeded, and that overload lends an impression of "absolution" to whatever emotional state we are experiencing at the time. A cup that is filled to overflowing is still only a minuscule fraction of all the space that is available to be filled. But from that cup's perspective, there is no room for anything else.

Does that make sense?

reply to post by Realtruth

We appear to be unconditionally sharing our time, thoughts, and wisdom with everyone here on ATS and if that is a sign unconditional love, then it's a good start.

I believe your right my friend.

I wanted to add something my old man said to me, something he read in a book and I'll most likely garble the translation but I will give it a shot...

"Love is doing something for someone w/o ever expecting anything in return, given with good intentions and meaning, complete or unconditional love is received and felt when that someone does something in return w/o ever expecting anything in it's place"

The above is a cycle and habit I feel more people should get into, not to say the opposite of someone taking advantage of someone else's good nature... In that case see my signature...

My father said that to me and it came out so much better... But the heart of what he said is in that quote... If ya feel me, ya feel me... If not, I hope that you one day do and that day you smile and think of what I just said and understand it further at that time.

Best regards,

reply to post by Realtruth


Just put your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car for 30 minutes....
see which one will be happy see you!!!

AfterInfinity
"Unconditional love" is right up there with "eternal life" and "infinite light". They are expression used to convey a concept that cannot actually be quantified or grasped, only imagined. There comes a point at which our perceptive skills are exceeded, and that overload lends an impression of "absolution" to whatever emotional state we are experiencing at the time. A cup that is filled to overflowing is still only a minuscule fraction of all the space that is available to be filled. But from that cup's perspective, there is no room for anything else.

Does that make sense?

I am of the opinion that unconditional love is a state of mind/being rather than something you have to bring into being.

In that, we choose to be in a specific state of perspective at any given time. Our chosen perspective does not encompass all that we will ever be, nor does it preclude learning new ways to manifest ourselves.

With unconditional love, it is basically just a foundation that everything else is built upon. It is not speaking to emotions, however, and I think that confusion derives from the limitation of language. Many cultures throughout history have used completely different terms to define the emotion of love, and the perspective of unconditional love. The same word is used in both, in our culture, but they are speaking to different things.

I really do think that in our current culture, "radical acceptance," points more towards what is being spoken about than "unconditional love." Not that the words particularly matter to the individual experience, but I think it helps minimize semantic issues a bit.

Below is my point of view.

I believe that two souls can be like one single symbiotic whole. But I do not believe in the term unconditional when two people are supposed to be next to each other.

You can from a distance unconditionally love anything, even a ego driven predatory being that kills and tortures people around that being, but you cannot be close to it since it will harm and destroy you both physically and mentally.

Even god do not believe in unconditional love from my point of view. You have to separate beings since some beings will not be able to be in the group without destroying the harmony of the group if you allow free will. Would not all beings on this planet be in the bliss state now if gods love was unconditional?

The only real unconditional love you can have and not harm yourself is, if the one loves you start to harm you, then remove yourself from the picture and wait for it to fix itself and then you can love it again close to it.

reply to post by Realtruth


Yes. I would die a thousand deaths for my little Sister. I will go through any torture imaginable, any pain comprehendible, any suffering possible - just for her. That to me is unconditional love. It doesn't matter what she does. I will always lay my life down for her. That is the ultimate act of love.

If unconditional love didn't exist, it would be a very cold world.

I married my wife when she was 17 and I was 19 in 1978,
Do I love her unconditionally YES.
She can say and do as she wishes and has my backing.

If she ever becomes so ill or was in a coma she has made me promise to end it for her as she is a very private person and the thought of other dealing with her toilet needs is to much for her to bare.

So I would do as she wished if it ever happens .

I believe its my duty to do as she wishes as she has raised my kids and supported me in everything since we were kids ourselves, whether a court would sentence me is entirely up to them and I could not care as I owe them nothing and owe my wife everything.

She can rely on me and i can rely on her 100%

If she was in danger I would put myself in front as she would with me.

If either one of us dies I think the other would follow soon.

Life without her is death

So putting my wife before others an totally no fear of what the state would do means I love her unconditionally.

I owe no one anything and my wife everything.

AfterInfinity
"Unconditional love" is right up there with "eternal life" and "infinite light". They are expression used to convey a concept that cannot actually be quantified or grasped, only imagined. There comes a point at which our perceptive skills are exceeded, and that overload lends an impression of "absolution" to whatever emotional state we are experiencing at the time. A cup that is filled to overflowing is still only a minuscule fraction of all the space that is available to be filled. But from that cup's perspective, there is no room for anything else.

Does that make sense?

It makes very good sense. We do not use the term "We are only Human", just as a excuse, its the truth. Our Human Being cups are only so big, and could never hold the complete content of Unconditional love.

There comes a point at which our perceptive skills are exceeded

I guess I was one of the lucky ones who has experienced Unconditional Love, but only in a dream, because in the waken state my body, my mind, could not cope, could not translate, could not bare, the vastness, the power, the depth, of the raw pure unconditional love. I don't think its just a incapability to comprehend it, but more like, its just not for us human beings, in the flesh.

Sure, we can try to emulate it as best as we can, and I'm not saying this isn't something that might help humanity. But I suspect while we are here, it just isn't for us.

Besides, our gambit of emotions could never coexist with unconditional love. We are creatures who have certain emotions hard wired into us, its part of our flesh. The Good, the Bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. To release yourself from that hard wiring, is to release yourself from the flesh, and you cease to be a human, any longer.

I'm not going to second guess the Divine Creator in his wisdom in that our "Cup" is too small to contain unconditional love. I don't know what the reason is but I'm quite certain, there is a very, very, very, good reason.

God made me this way, and God, doesn't make mistakes.