Recently, I was asked to create a ‘This I Believe’ statement and share it with my class for a graded assignment. Reflecting on this activity, I wanted to share my belief with the Her Campus community and encourage you all to write down your own beliefs. The act of writing something down to profess gives a depth that I would not have experienced had I not been given this assignment. Take some time to reflect.
This I Believe: Love is Kind
Love does not take from you more than it gives. It is the circulation of all that is good. Love can never be pure because it is complicated by other human emotions, but it remains kind. My belief in love does not mean I don’t believe in opposing emotions and practices; hate and indifference exist, but love is more powerful still. When it rains, love does not add special effects of lightning and thunder, but instead seeks shelter or covering because love not only sees the best in someone, love wants the best for them as well. Love does not wish harm onto someone else, no matter what they’ve done. Once that occurs, love has morphed into loathing. I believe that love can be physical in the best ways but love never strikes. Fights will happen but physically love will not leave a scar, and if it does, it is valid love no longer. If love is upset, those involved should take a moment to breathe. A resolution should not be rushed into conflict because love will mend itself but human interaction at fragile times may break it because love can be fragile. Love acts first and speaks second because love will see a need and address it. Love is good, so in a world full of fear, hate, poverty and hunger, love sees this and attempts to circulate peace.
Love is not more important in a romantic concept; in fact, I would argue the latter. Love is important in everyday interactions and relationships. The love I have for my surrounding peers can be as simple as acknowledging when they’ve done something well or giving them space when I can tell they’re having a bad day. Love for my friends is more involved, such as getting them out of the house when they are feeling low and being there to witness their achievements. Love for those I don’t agree with involves simply not wishing that President Trump and his whole staff die in a plane crash, but instead loving them as fellow human beings and hoping that someday something will make them realize how horrible their actions and words have made the lives of others’ and wishing that they will become advocates for the right kind of change.
I believe that to know love is to know peace. In an environment so full of complication, deadlines, and drama, the presence of love can make everything stop.
Above all… I believe in love.