Potentiality Digest: Let Love Reign

By Sodeeq Abdulakeem Sulyman

First of all, let me apologize for the little delay in getting this piece delivered to you, my loyal readers, this week. It happened like this because of some exigent circumstances I have to attend to and I am humbled to inform you that that circumstance gives birth to this week’s piece, which I am about to share with you.

The world is evolving at a pace that is very difficult for we human beings to cope with. This has become the premise for how we show affection for ourselves and other people around us. This has also largely impacted how we pursue our aspirations and chart our course towards achieving our goals and targets in life, which have caused some people to see life as what starts from them and ends with them – greediness, selfishness, etc.

However, no matter what one achieves in life, no matter the heights one reaches in life, no matter the popularity one may gain in life, no matter the people one may know in life, one may end up losing himself if he fails to recognise that other people’s souls deserved to be touched in a positive way either by caring for them or to give them reasons why they should also value other people.

But with respect to our contemporary society, the reverse is the case. It is disturbing and soul-piercing to encounter how wicked, discriminate and malicious some people treated fellow human beings. Yes, we are human beings; we are born with those traits of interests and choices, but we can still express our interests, make our choices without making other people lose their own worth. Many people have become great today because they found people who showered them with love.

To love goes beyond being deceptive in the ways you express yourself towards someone. It requires you to be deeply connected and engrossed with the other person or what you do, beyond what mere or ordinary distraction can affect. Sometimes you may be jilted or cheated on, but don’t let that be the reason for you to lose the characters you have cultivated and the values you uphold. Everything works in your favour. Wayne Dyer says, “Do not grieve for what does not come. Some things that do not happen keep disasters from happening.”

No one should ever feel to have done a remarkable thing in life, no one should ever believe to have made a footprint if he has not made himself a sign of love in other people around him. Does the warmth people feel when they touch you spark their hearts? Is the expression of your feelings towards other people pure, simple and kind? Do your words make people feel relieved and calm? Do you relate with others with an open mind, to share your qualities and values with them or to suck them?

There are many questions that can be raised when it comes to discussing the subject of love. What is important is that one should not make the negative sides of life to be the major definition of one’s life. Make it a choice to love life, yourself and others. As long as you choose to be a reflection and signal of love, you will be experiencing liberation and transformation in every aspect of your life, even when you least expect it. Omar Nelson Bradley affirmed that, “We need to learn to set our course by the stars, not by the lights of every passing ship.”

What the quote above is teaching us is that it is possible to be treated bad, to be discriminated against, to experience unfair judgement, to be victimised, etc., but we should not allow those unfair, unjust and unholy treatments to be the cause for us to contribute to the darkness of our world. We should be the stars shining in other people’s lives and illuminating our own hearts.

One of the major tenets of love is forgiveness and forgiveness never happens if you don’t purge your mind of all negatives you may have experienced. Don’t cause more harm to yourself by holding grudges or holding onto those tough treatments you have been subjected to. Doing such may contaminate your life and blind you from keeping your vision, obstruct you from reaching the peak of the honourable pedestal you have climbed. Don’t fall into the enemy’s trap. Olusegun Adeniyi aptly warns that “…the enemy doesn’t give you room to finish mourning. He attacks you when your command structure is fractured!”

So, when people treat you badly; feel your best. When people treat you worse, feel great. Use the exact amount of their negative to discover and ignite that amount of positive feelings in you. Summon the courage to see the stars in yourself shining. Charge yourself with the words of Whitney Houston that “The greatest love of all is happening to you now. The greatest love of all is inside of you. Discover the gratitude in you, and have your best life ever.” And do you know what? The best life you could ever live is in direct proportion to the love you showers on the world and everything inherent in it.