Limits

It’s a hard truth for some like me, and just a straight fact for others, but all human love is conditional. My godfather said this to me when we spoke of God vs. the average man and I hated that he sounded right in his simple statement because I wanted to be upset with someone for not holding me down. For showing less love despite what I offered abundantly. Humans are conditional innately. Hell, our bodies actually stop existing as proof, and our complicated love is an extension of our ego. It can be beautiful, forgiving, accepting. And still, love for self, love for others: selfish, conditional, relative, subjective. And the work it requires to exist at a functional capacity for harmony is not for the lazy. Certainly it requires intention and follow through and evaluation. Even still, our prescription for love is typically narrow and fragile. Once we understand this, we should strive to intentionally love fiercely, being vulnerable to the pain and pleasure of it because life is too short not to be expansive in this way, but with the keen awareness that it is also fleeting and certainly not the only thing we need. Because it is not reliable. Because we aren’t reliable. Because after all, what’s love got to do with it?