Skip to main content

Love means to see the one you love happy

Every day is a new beginning to celebrate one's love. 

 Yet some uncomfortable questions arise: 

  • How open are we to love? 
  • Do we take the one we love for granted?
  • Is there something that can be done to bring happiness to yourself and the person you love? 
  • Sometimes, can letting go be the best option? 

Love - a much maligned, abused word. How many times have we heard it, said it and not meant it? Billion? Zillion? Or have you hesitated to say it at all? Or maybe you are one of the lucky ones who have experienced love in a most beautiful way? Good for you! That is the way it should be.
But if you have been let down by some one you love, don't let it define the rest of your life or make you feel worthless. Far from it - you have learned something and you WILL move on to a happier self though it may not seem evident at the time. Remember this, no matter what happens: Nothing is permanent - not even our troubles. 


How to love with all the passion and truth in you? Here's what I believe works best: Mean what you say. Say what you mean. That's the only way to demonstrate love.

 And for me personally, this is my favorite definition of love and it's from none other than Nicholas Sparks: "Love means to see the one you love happy. True love means that you care for another's happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be."

 Over to you - how do you define love in your life? Is there a quote, an expression or experience that brings you closer to your quest for love? Do share it here. I'd love to know.
Labels:

Comments

KParthasarathi said…
I agree with the quote you gave at the end.
I would define true love as merging of two selfless hearts living for the other without expectations other than love.But if you dissect love too much its beauty is lost.
February 2, 2014 at 8:46 AM
SoulSpace said…
Love is the only way to grasp another human being in the innermost core of his personality. No one can become fully aware of the very essence of another human being unless he loves her. By his love he is enabled to see the essential traits and features in the beloved person; and even more, he sees that which is potential in her, which is not yet actualized but yet ought to be actualized. Furthermore, by his love, the loving person enables the beloved person to actualize these potentialities. By making him aware of what he can be and of what he should become, he makes these potentialities come true. — P.111-112

A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth — that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still knows bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. — P.37

These are from Viktor Frankl's Man in Search of Meaning

For me He says it all
February 11, 2014 at 12:52 AM
vinny said…
Completely agree with what Sowmya has shared from Victor Frankl's book 'Man's search for meaning'.

Remembered a story about a family living alone in a deserted, snowy place. The mother starved herself so that her children and husband could eat the few grains that grew in the little fertile patch they had built. She died soon after.

Love is the only emotion that can make our lives worthwhile, even if it is for a short span.
March 1, 2014 at 7:26 PM
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
@KP Parthasarathi - Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts, much appreciated.

@Sowmya Srinivasan - I have no words!Because I have just completed reading Viktor Frankl's Man in Search of Meaning. Like you have written here, those exact words overwhelmed me beyond words. It is just so simple, deep and touches a chord within us. That is the absolute truth of life which he captured from living a life of torture in a concentration camp!

Hats off to you Sowmya for taking out time to share this INSPIRING quote here.

@Vinaya I know Vinaya and that is a lovely story you shared here too.

Man's eternal quest is not for happiness or riches or pleasure but to find that love that makes his life worthwhile. I truly believe that love can be in any form and in any scale. For some, it could be an individual. For others, such as Mother Teresa, it could be love that is practiced at a greater scale. Whatever the form or scale, I believe that it is love alone that makes our life meaningful and worthwhile.
May 24, 2014 at 2:45 PM
Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences.  [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste.  You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this  new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being born
180 comments
Read more

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v
1 comment
Read more

Tumhari Sulu movie review: Vidya Balan makes you laugh, cry, croon and fall in love with 'Sulu'

I have always looked forward to watching Vidya Balan's films, which is why I watched her latest one, Tumhari Sulu, and decided to share this movie review. I read many reviews which bring in the feminist aspect of the narrative. I want to look at the little details of an ordinary life that are portrayed by Vidya Balan's extraordinary acting.   As ''Sulu'', Vidya Balan breathes life into the character of bubbly housewife, whose life revolves around her husband, son and of course, her favorite hobby of participating in all kinds of contests and winning them with a die-hard spirit.                                          [ Image: Vidya Balan's Facebook page ]                                Vidya Balan's mastery over details comes through in every scene - shooing off birds so that they don't put ''potty'' on her clothes, posing in front of the mirror with the kind of bag that working women use and pretending to be one, and eve
Post a Comment
Read more

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) - Why it is spiritually relevant

7 Am Arivu (the Seventh Sense) is a film that I was desperate to watch for two reasons. One, I am a Suriya fan and I had heard so much about his performance in this movie that I didn't want to settle for watching a CD of it and losing the actual cinematic experience. Second, I had read from various bloggers and their reviews that this film revolves around the story of Bodhidharman, a 16th century prince from Tamil Nadu who had mastered knowledge spanning multiple forms of art, and was sent to China to save the people from evil. Once he goes there, the transformation begins for himself and for the people there and he  goes on to become Damo, the father of Shaolin and Kung Fu and hypnotism and such other mystical yet spiritually relevant forms of mind mastery. 7 Am Arivu Goes Over the Top with the Dravidian Rhetoric In 7 Am Arivu, there has been a lot of controversy created by the fact that nearly every character eulogizes about the importance of being Tamil and yes, the Dravidi
9 comments
Read more

The Amazing Tale of Peddabottu: How she battled all odds, took leadership roles and defied conventional norms in a unique way

When we first come into the world, we mark our entry with a big cry.  The wise ones say that we loathe to leave the safety of the mother's womb. As we grow up, we learn to seek happiness in the things we do. We find different ways to be happy.  The wise ones says, ''Pain makes you strong.''   The truth about happiness is that it teaches us nothing, whereas pain nudges out of our complacent comfort zones.  It teaches us to reflect, look within and find the answers from a zone that we are not usually familiar dealing with. [Subscribe to my weekly newsletter: https://svara.substack.com/] Pain and sorrow manifest in our lives differently and across different phases but how we react to it defines our the direction of our life. A newborn child undergoes pain when vaccinated but will a mother stop her child from being vaccinated simply because she doesn't want her child to undergo pain? [ Must Read: A Dad's Advice to the Daughter He loves ] So, there
1 comment
Read more