The Power of Unconditional Love
The power of unconditional love. Five simple words able to make the most significant impact on everyone’s life. The ability to love people, regardless of their looks, their actions, their religion, their color and race. I don’t know if anyone has the absolute power to love unconditionally, from the kids that you dearly love, your friends and family, to your adversaries, enemies, oppressors, and tormentors. Unconditional love is a concept that, due to our human nature, is almost impossible to embrace in an absolute manner. Human nature is built to protect itself from harm and injury. How do we love someone who has intent to hurt us? How do we protect ourselves from evil intentions of others? By loving them unconditionally? Paradoxical to say the least. Or is it?
Unconditional love is a state of mind. It is a state of being, and seeing the world in a certain light. It is waking and sleeping with a consciousness that we wear perpetually. It is the love of people, not for ‘who’ they are, but because they are. If we love people for different reasons, the element of ‘who’ is introduced and renders love as conditional. Eliminate the ‘who’ from the equation and love becomes unconditional.
An icon of business and philanthropy, Warren Buffett, has recognized this marvel of nature and has used it for his betterment. "The power of unconditional love. There is no power on earth like unconditional love. And I think that if you offered that to your child, you’re 90 percent of the way home. There may be days when you don’t feel like it — it’s not uncritical love; that’s a different animal — but to know you can always come back, that is huge in life. That takes you a long, long way. And I would say that every parent out there that can extend that to their child at an early age, it’s going to make for a better human being." These are Warren’s words in a recent interview, crediting his father with teaching him how to live, and explaining that all parents can make a "better human being."
Warren Buffett, if you are reading this, I think I can speak for a vast majority of my readers that we all have the utmost of respect and admiration for your person and your presence. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your soul. Thanks for illuminating the basic building block of success. May we all learn from you and never forget the power of unconditional love.
