What do you understand by self-love?
Why is self-love important?
To me, the perfect example of self-love are babies – newborn babies, small children, that depend on adults for taking care of all their physical needs.
A lot of hard work to take care of young children. At the same time, babies are able to reach out and draw us all within their circle of joy and love.
When a baby is hungry, when they are wet, when they need a cuddle, when they need attention, they lead the entire world around them know in no uncertain manner that they need help.
But when they are fed, when they are changed, they are able to go within, for their own inner joy, inner happiness, serenity even, or curiosity, it’s wonderful to see this world from a baby’s eyes.
I’ve seen small children just be so engrossed with their fingers, they’re able to talk to their fingers, have conversations with their fingers, and play with their fingers for hours together.
And when a baby smiles, even the most sour adult is able to forget their own problems and worries and get drawn into that smile.
That’s the beauty of self-love.
“I love myself.”
But that process of loving myself, I’m able to draw others into love – into that circle of love.
I’ve seen it not just with small children, but also with adults. Older people that have lived their lives and getting ready to move on. They have made peace with life. And maybe they are dependent on the adults around them to take care of their physical needs, changing the diapers, moving them, even feeding them. At the same time, they are in a space of inner joy and harmony and when we take care of their needs, we are drawn into that circle and feeling wonderful, in spite of the physical hardships that we face, carers of such people really feel that it’s an honor to take care of such adults.
What is it about babies and adults, that is so wonderful and that draws people around them into their circle of love?
To me, I feel that it is because they are closer to the spirit world. A child has just come in from the spirit world, and the adult is getting ready to go to the spirit world. Because they are closer, they are also in touch with the spirit within themselves, it comes easily to them. And that is why I feel that they are perfect examples of self-love.
They show that we can love ourselves even if our bodies are not cooperating. That love is available to us, the joy is available to us, curiosities available to us. And I feel that when we watch them, we learn the fact that
“I love myself, because I matter.”
“Because there are treasures within me.”
And when I love myself in this way unconditionally, I am able to access my inner joy, my inner happiness. I’m also able to realize that I need to take steps to take care of myself again.
Why? Because “I matter.” Because I make a difference.
And this in essence, is what self-love is all about – accepting ourselves, loving ourselves, for no reason, for just the reason that “I exist.”
That, to me, is self-love.
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