The most important thing to remember about unconditional love is that it is about power sharing. It is not unconditional love if one person has control over the other. Unconditional love necessitates both compromise and sacrifice. If your spouse is unwilling to do so, but you are, this is damaging self-sacrifice, not unconditional love.
In order for there to be true unconditional love between two people, they have to be willing to share their own power and place limits on themselves. In other words, love implies risk. Love isn't free, it comes with conditions. Conditions like loyalty, trust, and commitment. Without these conditions, love is just a feeling that can be replaced at any time.
The truth is that no one is fully loved until they first fully love someone else. True love is not about giving something away for nothing in return, it is about sacrificing yourself for the person you love.
If you aren't willing to make such sacrifices, then you don't truly deserve love back from others. You must be able to show love first before it can be received. That is what makes love real and valuable; it requires action instead of feelings alone.
The concept of unconditional love in partnerships is admirable. Each of us desires to be loved unconditionally, as we are, and to feel ourselves as capable of giving unconditional love on our relationships. However, in its most limited sense, this form of love is difficult, if not impossible.
In order for someone to truly have your back no matter what you do, they need to know you're worthy of their trust. You can't rely on them to love you even when you behave yourself, or else they wouldn't be your backstop. And since trust is based on knowledge, they need to know you aren't going to do something that would damage their belief in you.
Furthermore, there needs to be mutual respect between two people for them to be able to give each other an unconditional love. If one person does not value the other, they cannot expect such a person to value them back. Only someone who values you will be able to give you an unconditional love. This is why relationships require work to thrive. It isn't enough for two people to want the same things and go after them together. They also have to bring out the best in one another, which means they have to appreciate where the other person is coming from and not take them for granted.
So while it is possible for some animals (especially dogs) to show us what an unconditional love looks like, it is not possible for humans.
True, unconditional love is what everyone is meant to strive for. If you can't find it, you're losing out on something crucial—at least according to the narrative. The fact is that unconditional love does not exist. It's a myth used by parents to make their children feel good about themselves.
The truth is that only certain types of love are real love. Only love that leads to action and doesn't stop until one of them dies stands a chance of being considered true love. True love isn't just feeling happy when your lover is with another person. It's not just feeling loved when your partner comes home late at night or spends all their money on drugs instead of you. True love is fighting for your relationship day in and day out no matter what. Only then will you have true love.
So yes, there is such a thing as real love. But first, you have to understand that love isn't exactly the same as happiness. Love is powerful and strong but it's also delicate. It can be destroyed in an instant if not handled properly. Happiness on the other hand is simple and pure. It has nothing to do with power or strength and as such, it cannot be destroyed.
Now that we know this, let's talk about true love and how it differs from happy love.
Simply said, unconditional love is love with no strings attached. It's love you freely give. You don't judge someone based on what they do for you in return. You just adore them and want nothing more than for them to be happy. This form of love, also known as compassionate or agape love, may seem familiar. It is the same love Jesus showed his disciples during His earthly life.
Jesus demonstrated this form of love by going beyond giving his followers food and shelter to show he cared about their needs before theirs. He healed them even when they were not sick or injured, because he knew how difficult it was for them to live without their limbs or eyesight. He did not demand anything in return but instead shared his love with them openly.
This form of love is not only important in Christianity but also in other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam as well. In fact, according to research conducted by Harvard University, over 70% of world religions include some form of guidance on showing loving-kindness towards others in their texts.
So, the answer to the question "What is the meaning of unconditional love?" is that it's a form of love that does not require anything in return. It is an act of kindness that comes from the heart which may lead to positive changes within ourselves as well as those around us.
The fulfillment of unconditional love should come from the act of offering it to the other person rather than from what you receive in return. If we consider unconditional love to be the "expression of our nicest nature," it may be maintained even if a relationship fails. Unconditional love is not just a feeling but an action of the will.
When we love someone, we give them our best effort, whether they deserve it or not. We let them know that we are here for them and that we want what's best for them. Only when they show their love back by caring for us can we say that they have satisfied our need for love.
Unconditional love is the only love that lasts forever. When we learn to love others as they do not fear us, then our need for love is met forever.