How To Love

If we put a pinch of salt in a glass of water, it becomes undrinkable; but if we put the same amount of salt in a river, nothing changes, because the river is immense enough to receive and transform. By the same logic, if our heart is small and closed-off, its capacity for understanding and acceptance is also limited; if we know how to open our heart, however, we will discover a great reservoir of understanding and compassion within us. In order to truly understand this concept, we simply need to reflect on what happens in a relationship: in the beginning, our love typically extends to ourselves and the other person, but as time goes on, this love grows and begins to also include others. The moment this love stops growing, it dies, and the same is true for plants: it is crucial that we nourish this feeling constantly, so that it remains healthy and vibrant.

We can all learn the art of giving happiness and love: the important thing is to understand that, before anything else, we have to know how to nourish our own happiness, so that we can cultivate our ability to love. When we learn to love and understand ourselves, when we become capable of feeling true compassion for ourselves, then we can truly love another person and give them the greatest gift of all: our understanding of their suffering.