Unconditional love comes with sacrifices

The greatest gift you can give someone is love. This is from my perspective, though, but then what is love? To the best of my knowledge, I will say that love is an affection for someone or an object. I put objects because there are people who take pleasure in inanimate things.

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But in response to today's @inleo task, I will define unconditional love as a strong affection one has for another person. I won't put an object here because unconditional love relates better to humans than objects. Unconditional love is loving beyond limitations and conditions; it takes certain characteristics before a human can express unconditional love to his or her fellow human.

Unconditional love has to do with prioritizing another's happiness over yours and going out of your way to make someone happy. This type of love has to do with sacrificing one's happiness for others, but in our world today, is this type of love common? I will leave my readers to answer that individually.

Unconditional love is when you love someone no matter what, loving such a person even when he or she makes mistakes or does things that displease you. Unconditional love accepts people for who they are; it doesn't try to change them to suit them but encourages them in love and is with them throughout the journey. Loving someone unconditionally is like swearing an oath of protection, attention, care, and support, come what may. This type of love is common among parents and their children. I would have added between spouses, but I've seen that change recently.

The common saying "for better or for worse" is no longer working in marriages; it's now "for better I stay, for worse, I leave." I've seen marriages where tolerance is lost, where patience is lost, not to mention unconditional love. Love these days is conditional; if the conditions are not met, there wouldn't be anything like love. I've seen a marriage that lasted for two weeks. This was a marriage where a huge sum of money was spent—a marriage where expensive clothes (aso-ebi) were chosen for the family—but surprisingly, it lasted for two weeks. Then I asked myself, What could have possibly gone wrong?

Definitely, there are things lost in such marriages. That's why it is advisable to be physically, mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and socially matured before going into marriage. There are some things that need to be put in place to grow and maintain unconditional love in any relationship. These factors are very essential to any healthy relationship, whether between married couples or friends. Factors such as:

• Practicing forgiveness
• Focusing on the good
• Good communication
• Respect
• Support

These five factors play a very important role in growing unconditional love. Even as friends, many people find it difficult to forgive. Forgiving someone who wrongs you is forgiving yourself to move on in life. Many hold so tightly to the past, which thereby affects the present and the future. That's why unconditional love means loving genuinely without conditions, staying unshakable with the person you claimed to love no matter what happens, but in this generation Z (the new generation), the reverse is the case, which is why many marriages are crumbling today.

Focusing on the good is another good factor. Some people always find fault in what others do; no matter how good it is, it will never be good enough for them. A single bad word erases millions of goods; that's how humans mentalities are. Relationships are in disarray because of this factor. Some will dwell so long on the bad, making repetition of it and making it look like you are not good enough, but focusing on the good and encouraging one another will sure build unconditional love.

When it comes to good communication, some marriages or relationships lack it. I have a family friend with whom both couples don't communicate as couples. The wife doesn't tell things to her husband; likewise, the husband. They both don't know how their businesses and work are progressing. It is so bad to the extent that the husband doesn't know when the wife is indisposed; it's the children that will be telling their father that their mother is sick. I then imagine, What kind of marriage or relationship is that? With no good communication, how did they want their family life to progress? Well, that happens in so many relationships and homes, and this is an important factor in building unconditional love.

Sometimes I do ask myself, Why is it so difficult for people to respect one another? Respect is a forgotten issue in many relationships. Respect is reciprocal, as is disrespect. Some couples dish out disrespect to each other like it's a proper way of life. This particular family friend of mine lacks so many things in their marriage, one of which is respect. The husband talks to the wife rudely, not minding where they are or who is watching. This is so bad and inappropriate; he calls her nasty names that will make me ask myself if they were forced to marry each other. That's how great and massive the level of disrespect is. Unconditional love can never grow in this kind of relationship.

Support is also an important factor. In a relationship where there is no adequate support and care, separation is inevitable because there will be nothing to hold the relationship together even when it wants to collapse. This is why it is said that reaching the level of unconditional love is a bit difficult because a lot of things have to be put in place, but when the level or stage is finally attained, separation will be a forgotten issue as there won't be reasons to stay apart. Unconditional love fights to stay no matter the storm, and at the end, it does win.

Thanks for your time, and your comments will be appreciated.

Posted Using InLeo Alpha