The Power of Love

With all of the heated aftermath of the Valentines Day massacre still swirling around the atmosphere, I have been seeing multiple different perspectives come forth.  The ones that have stuck with me the most, however, are the ones that demonstrate the power of love, either by its presence or its absence.

One video in particular that stayed with me was of a man who was reading a pre-written speech, filming himself in a bathroom mirror.  He revealed that he, too, might have been a school shooter if he had access to guns, simply because he felt unloved and left out.  His life circumstances sucked, and his experience at school did nothing to build him up, but rather everything to tear down what little he had left.

As a teacher, I see several students like this on a daily basis.  Many of them may not be severe cases; friends that are outside of school, loving families, a super-resilient kid, all of which can be the deciding factor between going haywire and just feeling momentary, normal bouts of sadness.

But there are some kids who don’t have that.  Children with parents who outright ridicule and hate them.  Children with parents who are so wrapped up in their own lives they don’t notice when their children begin retreating inward.  Children who then come to school and, because we as a human race are sensitive to the energy other people put out, have problem after problem there as well.

Even I have found myself naturally avoiding certain students or people because the vibes they give off are so off-putting I feel the need to protect my personal state of being.  Yet it only takes a small bit of light to dispel darkness.  If we keep the need in our minds to SPREAD the positivity after it has been cultivated in our hearts, we can do a lot of good.

The power of positive love is demonstrated most harshly when we look on a life where it has been conspicuously absent.  Babies who do not get cuddled and held simply do not grow and/or are in actual danger of dying.  Senior citizens who don’t get visitors are noticeably more depressed than those who do.  Even a garden, when neglected, is overgrown with weeds.

Love is a powerful force, subtle when it is present, but alarmingly potent when it is absent.  We should make it our mission to make sure that everybody who shares a moment of our lives feels a least a small morsel of love from us.

Whew….just thinking of the amount of effort and presence that would take is exhausting!  But like anything, repetition lends itself to ease. Not to say that there won’t be days when you fail….but consciously thinking about it will dramatically improve the amount of positivity you are able to spread, not to mention the benefits you will feel personally.

And the effort is well worth it.  I am reminded of the power of love each time a student writes me a note, or tells me that I’m they’re favorite teacher, or comes up at the end of class for a hug.  I know that I am not the greatest teacher in the world; my lessons can be boring, my planning is sometimes rushed, and I don’t always give the feedback to my students’ writing like I should.

And yet, I will forever and always be proud of the types of relationships I can have with my students because, being energy-sensitive human beings, they can TELL that I love them.  As much as they drive me nuts, I love being able to spend time with them and make an imprint on their lives.  And they naturally are drawn to that no matter how  terribly long the minutes in my class may seem.

So I turn to you:  What can you do in your life to ensure that you are properly using the power of love?  What are the things that get your positive energy flowing?  How can you harness those awesome vibes and not only hang on to them for yourself but spread them around to the people that you come in contact with?

For me, it’s usually the simple things: smiling a people you pass by (you’d be surprised how often you DON’T do this), putting a bit of extra cheer in your “good morning!” greeting, carrying on a small conversation while walking rather than walking along in silence.  Once you start thinking about ways to spread the love, it’s actually quite easy to interject into your daily life.

In my experience, the more positive you are, the more initial push back you will get from the energy that either is negative or that is used to staying in a neutral state.  I have had many people dislike me or my actions because they didn’t understand where I was coming from (granted, I do have a pretty strong personality, and this may also cause some backlash).  However, once people get past the tsunami force of my presence, they usually appreciate what I can bring to the table.

So you may, in trying to spread positivity and love, may experience some resistance.  I would encourage you to keep loving anyway.  The power of love is a marvelous thing, and you will be surprised at who or what you might influence.

How have you experienced the power of love?  Talk to me in the comments!