Is it possible to love others if we don’t love ourselves?

The self should not exist, so what’s to love!

The problem with loving ourselves is that there is so much of self love that there is not much left to give others. Also, we love ourselves too much and therefore set high aspirations for our own selves. And when we don’t reach those aspirations, we hate ourselves. With our self love, we begin to believe that we are the best, and then if we don’t make it to the top we say we failed miserably. Then begins the blame-game—the parents didn’t send us to the right college; this person didn’t help us when we needed help; the world is a crooked place, etc.

We complain about so many things, and all this while we forget about all the comforts we have: when it is hot, there is a fan that can be turned on; there is transportation to take us from one place to another; there is a house to live in; there is water flowing in the taps and in the shower; a swim in a swimming pool is possible any time ... so what have we got to complain about!  

Let’s keep aside the love for our own selves and focus instead on loving others. The simplest way to do so is by being 100 per cent there for whoever needs us, and in whichever manner they need us. This is possible when we discard our physical, emotional and mental selves, and begin living in the spiritual self. This fourth self requires no nurturing on our part, because it simply is.

The day we begin to live in our spiritual selves, there will be no need to love our own selves. Rather, our entire energy will be focused on doing what needs to be done for others.