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Acceptance and Intimacy
I don't think it is possible to truly love another without acceptance.
This may sound bold but I believe it is true.
If we don't accept another can we truly love him or her? Is love really manifest or felt if it is conditional or based on an unrealistic image or wished for changes?
When I hear of situations where children feel conditionally loved, or where a spouse does not feel accepted by another, I question the depth of love that is present.
In these cases, there may be the emotion of caring and pleasure but to deeply love is more that this. True love is there regardless of situations, environment, or conditions. It is unending and all encompassing.
What does "acceptance" really mean? It doesn't mean one has to be perfect to receive love, nor does it mean one thinks another is perfect (in some defined way). Accepting another means you embrace the totality of who they are. It means you love another knowing the depth of their being. It means you love who they are not only a part of them or under some conditions.
In addition, acceptance does not mean one accepts unhealthy or inappropriate behavior.
Acceptance may not come easy to some of us. We often want to change our partners. We may want to eliminate some specific behavior or make them into something they are not.
But real love is not contingent on our partner changing or conforming to our wishes.
It is loving from a place where one can accept another, warts and all.
5 comments:
Day after day you just nail these subjects with such accuracy,simplicity and with the precision of a surgeon! Great Post!
Health and Prosperity,
Romain
Hi Romain... ahhhh thank you so very much! I always appreciate your insights and experience! :-) Have a very lovely Valentines Day! Jen
'Accepting another means you embrace the totality of who they are.'
Indeed... but just how many of us can truly embrace another?
Hi Jackal...
Great question..... you speak to the heart of intimacy. It takes a very open heart to truly accept another. The more we understand ourselves and the more we deeply love, the more acceptance we often feel for others. To accept another means we let go of expectations, demands, manipulations... and allow our beloved to express himself (herself) in his totality. It is not always easy to do this but it is what makes for the deepest intimacy! Thanks for your question sweetie, Jennifer
Acceptance of others and the world around us starts with self-acceptance. When we accept that we are whole and perfect they way we are, we are able to accept the same of others.
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