We have great difficulty with loving other people as they are.
There are many ways to do that, but only one will be mentioned here:
COMMUNICATION
It is really vital that we communicate our thoughts, opinions and feelings to other people so that we can be heard.
If you were not able to do that, you would feel:
- frustrated
- lonely
- depressed
Communication may seem easy, but it is not easy. You see, there are two parts to communication:
- sending the message
- receiving the message
In between these steps, meaning is almost always lost because words cannot fully describe what we mean. Words are symbols for a concept that is only experienced in the brain.
In my last post, I defined what love is:
We don’t understand what love means. We think love means romantic love, but romantic love is temporary. To love someone else is to have joy for them.
I also, albeit subtly, defined what joy is:
The most important thing that has joy for us[?] [is] The Sun.
[...]
[You see,] it shines regardless of what we are doing right now.
(Emphasis mine and text added to clarify)
Joy is gladness regardless of circumstances.
I do not want people to misunderstand what I am talking about. That is how important I value communication.
How can we communicate with love?
- Think before you speak. Many a communication befuddle could have been avoided if we chose to think before we spoke.
- Listen. Focus on what the other person is saying. Do not interrupt other people while they are talking.
- Be aware of what constitutes a message. Words only make up seven percent of a message. The rest is made up of how people say words (38 percent) and body language (55 percent).
