“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves.” — Jane
What People Are Saying
I have often heard people say that when we love, we should avoid giving the relationship one hundred percent of our hearts, that we should always try to reserve a certain percentage for ourselves.
Somehow, this is based on the idea that we can love other people better if we learn to love ourselves first. But is the connection to this idea true? Can we only love ourselves by holding back a certain percentage of our love?
Love is Like a Pizza?
This leads me to the thought that love is something that’s like a pizza pie. Once we give away half, all that we retain is the other half. So better to not give everything away then?
What Love Is
I think love is different. Love is not diminished like that. I believe that we can love ourselves a hundred percent and also love other people without ever lessening that love!
Our problem is not in dividing our love. Our problem is not knowing how to love one hundred percent!
Whenever we fail to give attention to our needs, we are not loving ourselves in full. Whenever we set aside our need for growth, we love ourselves less than we should.
In the same way, whenever we fail to recognize the need of our family or friends, we fail to give them the kind of love they need. We are not giving them a hundred percent of our love.
Love and Abundance
Love is not a thing that ought to be scarce. Love is abundance and fullness! Love is something that should multiply the more that we give it away.
Our problem is not in trying to save a portion of love. Our problem is being able to keep up to the full measure of what love really is!
Whenever we think that love can be given in halves, we lose the true meaning of it, we lose its very essence. For how could we love only with half of our hearts? Or how could we love only with half of our thoughts?
Love and Faithfulness
When we commit to someone, we do not promise to remain faithful for only half of the time. We promise faithfulness one hundred percent of the time! And if we ever forget that promise for even a single hour of betrayal, can we truly say that we have not forgotten love then?
We can never love with only half of our hearts. This is true whether we speak about loving ourselves or loving other people.
Love would always demand one hundred percent because it would always give its all. Love is faithful, love is true, and that shouldn’t only be true half of the time.
Check Jocelyn's books:
"Of Waves and Butterflies: Poems on Grief", "Mend My Broken Heart", "Questions to God", "To Love an Invisible God", "Defending My Catholic Faith", and more - click here.
(You may freely quote excerpts from this website as long as due credit is given to author Jocelyn Soriano and the website itakeoffthemask.com)