LOVE OR NEED
LOVE OR NEED
Love is a Basic Human Need
and the feeling of security and safety are met, a person needs to feel love and belonging in order to grow. I think this is much because of the drive love gives us in order to reach the next levels of esteem and then to be content with our lives.
Why is love so important in human life?
But why is love so
important? Scientific studies have shown that being in love causes
our body to release feel-good hormones and neuro-chemicals that trigger
specific, positive reactions. Levels of dopamine, adrenaline and norepinephrine
increase when people are in love.
Everything that makes a relationship
“work” (and by work, I mean that it is happy and sustainable for both people
involved) requires a genuine, deep-level admiration for each other. Without
that mutual admiration, everything else will unravel.
It’s useful to point out that
love, itself, is neutral. It is something that can be both healthy or
unhealthy, helpful or harmful, depending on why and how you
love someone else and are loved by someone else. By itself, love is never enough to sustain a
relationship.
True love—that is, deep, abiding love that is impervious to
emotional whims or fancy—is a choice. It’s a constant commitment to a person
regardless of the present circumstances. It’s a commitment to a person who you
understand isn’t going to always make you happy—nor should they!—and a person
who will need to rely on you at times, just as you will rely on them.
That form of love is much harder. Primarily because it often
doesn’t feel very good. It’s unglamorous. It’s lots of early morning doctor’s
visits. It’s cleaning up bodily fluids you’d rather not be cleaning up. It’s
dealing with another person’s insecurities and fears and ideas, even when you
don’t want to.
But this form of love is also far more satisfying and
meaningful. And, at the end of the day, it brings true happiness, not just
another series of highs.
The most important factor in a relationship is not communication, but respect:
Talk frequently. Talk openly. Talk about everything, even if
it hurts. And there is some merit to that (which I’ll get to later). But we
noticed that the thing people with marriages going on 20, 30, or even 40 years
talked about most was respect. My sense is that
these people, through sheer quantity of experience, have learned that
communication, no matter how open, transparent and disciplined, will always
break down at some point. Conflicts are ultimately unavoidable, and feelings
will always be hurt. And the only thing that can save you and your partner,
that can cushion you both to the hard landing of human fallibility, is an
unerring respect for one another, the fact that you hold each other in high
esteem, believe in one another—often more than you each believe in
yourselves—and trust that your partner is doing his/her best with what they’ve
got. Without that bedrock of respect underneath you, you will doubt each
other’s intentions. You will judge their choices and encroach on their independence.
You will feel the need to hide things from one another for fear of criticism.
And this is when the cracks in the edifice begin to appear.
A healthy relationship means two healthy individuals
·
A
healthy and happy relationship requires two healthy and happy individuals.
Keyword here: “individuals.” That means two people with their own identities,
their own interests and perspectives, and things they do by
themselves, on their own time.
·
A
lot is made about “sacrifices” in a relationship. You are supposed to keep the
relationship happy by consistently sacrificing yourself for your partner and
their wants and needs. There is some truth to that. Every relationship requires
each person to consciously choose to give something up at times. But the
problem is when all of the relationship’s happiness is
contingent on the other person and both people are in a constant state of
sacrifice. Just read that again. A relationship based on sacrifices cannot be
sustained, and will eventually become damaging to both individuals in it.
You can work through anything as long as you
are not destroying yourself or each other. That means emotionally, physically,
financially, or spiritually. Make nothing off limits to discuss. Never shame or
mock each other for the things you do that make you happy. Write down why you
fell in love and read it every year on your anniversary (or more often). Write
love letters to each other often. Make each other first. When kids arrive, it
will be easy to fall into a frenzy of making them the only focus of your
life…do not forget the love that produced them. You must keep that love alive
and strong to feed them love. Spouse comes first. Each of you will continue to
grow. Bring the other one with you. Be the one that welcomes that growth. Don’t
think that the other one will hold the relationship together. Both of you
should assume it’s up to you so that you are both working on it. Be passionate
about cleaning house, preparing meals, and taking care of your home. This is
required of everyone daily, make it fun and happy and do it together. Do not
complain about your partner to anyone. Love them for who they are. Make love
even when you are not in the mood. Trust each other. Give each other the
benefit of the doubt always. Be transparent. Have nothing to hide. Be proud of
each other. Have a life outside of each other, but share it through
conversation. Pamper and adore each other. Go to counseling now before you need
it so that you are both open to working on the relationship together. Disagree
with respect to each other’s feelings. Be open to change and accepting of
differences. Print this and refer to it daily.
So here I have penned down something about Love
and Need, I hope you people will like it:
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