image [https://img.wattpad.com/cc9ace02b8c516778e07d344fc6ec55c1e2f67ea/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f32566167775a58547768363331413d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363346130383362373034323837333739353439333133342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Baby don't hurt me," responds the Seeker to the mysterious stranger. As they continue on their forest path, up ahead they spot a wooden bridge, connecting both sides of a river.
Puzzled, the Stranger stares at the Seeker with a confused face. "I would never hurt you," he exclaims in shock.
"No...," the Seeker tries to explain. "There was this song from the 90'... And it turned into a meme... And..."
The mysterious stranger confused gaze, doesn't falter [https://img.wattpad.com/390d9238a0b6d7f7378412992c54625380fbe923/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f526b6a53497675434c4a704734773d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363346439656235383132613132313737333032313434382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The mysterious stranger confused gaze, doesn't falter.
The Seeker sighs: "You know what... Just forget about it..."
"Anyway," utters the mysterious stranger, as the two companions are crossing the bridge. "Let us find out together, what Love actually is."
"I think that is fairly simple," states the Seeker. "Every child knows what love is. You can simply find it in the dictionary. I don't see any need to elaborate any further on this."
As they cross the bridge, the path ahead moves upwards on a hill [https://img.wattpad.com/c254136b4908b640a6f3a220268c74de8fd929a7/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f366342654562314663554d6c4e673d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363366363663339343964623833343533303133363239322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
As they cross the bridge, the path ahead moves upwards on a hill.
As they cross the bridge, the path ahead moves upwards on a hill [https://img.wattpad.com/203d2182ff5b196b59a74da5cd36ee20f6666d2f/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f77773742647573305735656b35513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363373138653738363334623336323136373635363630382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The mysterious stranger clears his throat:
"It's not that simple. If the nature of love were completely understood, we wouldn't need to hold this conversation. If love, true love, was grasped not only by the intellect, but also by the heart, we would have already long transcended our current era of darkness.
You see.. Throughout the centuries the meaning behind the word 'love' was corrupted. We have bent it, falsified it, turned it into something else. There are so many misconceptions, false ideas, of what love is. We have lost our love a long time ago.
Today, love is nothing more, than a 'cute', little keychain or necklace, people wear as a part of their identity. Or some romantic fantasy, they dream of, to feel good about themselves. They confuse love with identity, pleasure or attachment. They think their jealousy, their possessiveness, their fears and their sorrows are justified by love.
Then there are those, who are repulsed by the word 'love'. Because they are afraid to be weak. Because they are insecure about their own masculinity. Or because they are simply so consumed by hate, that the word itself frightens them. They are so blinded by their ego, by their mind, that they can't see, what's right next to them... Always been there, waiting for them to be seen.
Neither of these people have found love. It's not their fault. Love is nothing, that can be found easily. It costs tremendous effort, vigor and determination to find actual Love. I may assist you with inquiry, elaborations and poetry... But in the end, you will need to find it yourself... On the level of mind, heart and spirit. But if you truly set out to seek love, then you shall find it. Find it on the deepest and highest level of your being. Knock and you shall receive."
image [https://img.wattpad.com/8d1cc3889946734aa012ecc40a8ba8e028db3207/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f485066634b2d314c2d304c4461413d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363376365333431313436633133333636383832303739382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
As they reached the top of the hill, the exhausted Seeker needs a moment to rest [https://img.wattpad.com/e0c2df1165ee8ad91d8a71fb43bed9be141be396/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f3678686e4f48494e4564455663673d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363383062623964663032663333313138363134303731342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
As they reached the top of the hill, the exhausted Seeker needs a moment to rest.
The Seeker breaths heavily. "Gimme a second..."
The Seeker takes a seat on a bench, as the mysterious stranger sits himself next to them.
"Alright," continues the Seeker after some time. "So you are telling me, that our understanding of love is wrong. Why does this even matter?"
"Did you really forget, what I told you the last time, that we sat on a bench?"
"I probably didn't listen," the Seeker confesses, whilst wiping the sweat from their head.
"I probably didn't listen," the Seeker confesses, whilst wiping the sweat from their head [https://img.wattpad.com/cd4fc23a30d05a4d87d35b1d430ce98e2da90b9a/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f424d4f6846724846735336686c413d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363393266313964363631613737323533323033393537382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The mysterious stranger grins.
"Love will change the world, my friend. That's why we need to find it again. You see, Love is something that transcends all comprehension. Love is something, that is divine in nature. It is something so unfathomable great and wonderful, that you will never be able to grasp it. It is infinite. All-encompassing. It's connecting You to the rest of the world. It is your connection with the sacred. No word can ever fully describe it. No thought can ever understand it. Feel it, see it, be it. Love can never hurt you, baby!"
"I knew it," accuses the Seeker the mysterious stranger. "So you've heard of Haddaway after all!"
"Anyway," continues the mysterious stranger as he stands up from the bench. "To find out what love is, we must first understand, what love is not. We have muddled up it's meaning, with so many limited human ideas. Let us untangle it... Let me ask you, Seeker... Can love ever be conditional?"
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger continue on their journey.
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger continue on their journey [https://img.wattpad.com/1fd10abf5daedb3e86257668c56514648d6d3e65/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f677559417a78306b35444d4f58673d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363393762323036373335383632363931313032343336322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Yes," responds the Seeker without hesitation. "Of course, love can be conditional. Almost any relationship operates that way. Take a marriage contract for example. Trust can be a condition for love. Financial security can be a condition for love. Beauty, sex appeal, effort, talent, personality... All that can be a condition for love."
"If you make love conditional, it's no longer love. Then it's something else. Love knows no conditions, no boundaries, no limitations. You can't bargain love, you can't trade it off, it can't be negotiated."
The Seeker shakes their head [https://img.wattpad.com/61a7bcd2a09d816c545c02975837ddbe77033e24/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5f337a6c3776706433654d4e32673d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363396132323936363366323636393938363834393938312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The Seeker shakes their head. "Now you are just mixing things up. There is unconditional love and there is regular love. There is a distinction."
"I say, unconditional love is the only kind of love. If it's not unconditional, then it's simply not love. You may call love, but it's actually pleasure or attachment. If you only love, because you get something out of it, then it's the ego. Then it's selfishness. You can't expect something in return for love. Love is free. Love is boundless. Love is limitless. There can't be any dependency in love. Love can't be quantified. And it can never ever belong to anyone. It's neither yours, nor is it mine. Love just is."
The Seeker scratches their head [https://img.wattpad.com/344691a57a5fc9a7fb2591042dc24379a8577d48/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f70564c7a5f484339797a43716d513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363396337323437623237363233343130323532313930352e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker scratches their head. "So you are saying, that most modern relationships are not based on love? You know, that this statement will offend many people, do you?"
The mysterious stranger grins.
"What is an act of love? Is an act of love ever selfish? Is jealousy love? Is anger love? Is fear love? Is pain love? Can any of these emotions grow from a soil of love?
No, they only grow from a soil of Ego. If there is any resentment, hidden or obvious, then it is not love. There is no motive in love, no hidden agenda. There is no expectation in love. If you are jealous, it's not love, it's insecurity. If you are angry, it's not love, it's a lack of understanding. If you are afraid, if you fear of losing the love, then it's not love, it's attachment. If it hurts you, then it's not love either, it's attachment."
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger have moved further ahead, they stumble upon the remains of a lost sanctuary [https://img.wattpad.com/dd30aabb55aae478554c1c96da7e5deaeeb9a8f2/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f5348455a5a4f6676466334715f513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363613839393736643137313735363831323534393937382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker and the mysterious stranger have moved further ahead, they stumble upon the remains of a lost sanctuary. The Seeker notices ruins of ancient monuments. Pillars, statues, dream-like architecture. Both of them stop at the golden statue of god with wings, holding bow and arrow.
"You see Seeker," speaks the mysterious stranger, as they marvel at the golden statue [https://img.wattpad.com/b1328ddcaa6ae31c97dd2ac919b1bb86c2198306/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f43425179446938394331566741513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363616136363963646230363136343633323833393639302e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"You see Seeker," speaks the mysterious stranger, as they marvel at the golden statue. "Love is, when the Self is not. It's as simple as that."
The Seeker shakes their head. "Then what about self-love? Huh? Are you seriously trying to tell me, that self-love isn't a thing?"
"Self-Love..." contemplates the mysterious stranger. "Do you love yourself, just as much, as you love any other human being? Do you love yourself as much, as you love the animals, the trees, the sky, the sun? Do you love yourself as much, as you love the world? If you give yourself the same unconditional love, that you give to anything else, then it's still love. Because there is no preference in love.
If you feel yourself to be more important than others, then it's just plain selfishness. If you just demand respect for yourself, but don't give the same amount of respect to others, it's not love. The idea of people being more important, than others, is a completely man-made construct."
They continue walking on their path [https://img.wattpad.com/ca54b8fbe5851c7beb3af21c408c82d9ce4089d6/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f32344c596643433275544a7271673d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363623261333665666538663130343231353231373331322e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
They continue walking on their path. Ruins of a marble temple, in an ancient Greek style, is overgrown with vines.
The Seeker begins laughing.
"Now you are uttering nonsense again... As if, anyone were to accept this... You love your own family more, than you love strangers. You treat people differently based on societal norms. I won't give my colleague the same respect, as my boss. I won't love my friends as much as my children. That's just how humans are... That is how we work... That is how society functions... We need preference."
"We are not asking, how we should behave," reminds the mysterious stranger the Seeker [https://img.wattpad.com/9d505a557366b38d1903bc293dbf7ca0c5b1c3ed/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6f446b5f756c67764330353669413d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363623638356632356539633132333536363131383837382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"We are not asking, how we should behave," reminds the mysterious stranger the Seeker. "Neither are we proposing, to do anything. We are just asking what love is. And when we find the answer, it is up to you, whether you accept and go after it or not.
I am saying, that love is unconditional. Love knows no preference. Love is beyond human conception. Love is infinite and limitless. Love is, when the Self is not. Love is everywhere and in everything."
"How is love everywhere and in everything," asks the Seeker confused. "Explain that to me."
The mysterious stranger stops in his track and points at an anthill. The Seeker stops as well. Countless ants carry an apple to the anthill.
"Can you see, how these ants work within a perfect self-sufficient system? In complete harmony and balance [https://img.wattpad.com/d2f2e71764c992d406c568cb84b4826eba809842/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f4536484e557778784966344e77513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363626137303933613464383932333535323830383138312e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Can you see, how these ants work within a perfect self-sufficient system? In complete harmony and balance. Working together for the greatest good of their tribe. Do you see, that these ants have an inbuilt intelligence and care for each other. While also contributing to the rest of nature, by cleaning up, by being food for anteaters or just simply by existing?"
The Seeker frowns. "Yeah... Well they are just some dumb ants... there's nothing special about that..."
The Stranger points at a bird in a nest, feeding worms to their children.
"Do you see, how the mother bird cares for their babys? Can you see this inbuilt self-sufficient mechanism of the system of nature, the mother instinct to nurture, to fulfill every need? The small chicks will learn to fly some day [https://img.wattpad.com/9ebc2d24e2eb0200f5fab3dbb826604d69407a6b/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f506542667130446d6943596e39773d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363633039366233633734323436333938363339373932332e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"Do you see, how the mother bird cares for their babys? Can you see this inbuilt self-sufficient mechanism of the system of nature, the mother instinct to nurture, to fulfill every need? The small chicks will learn to fly some day. They will eat seeds and grains, fly off and spread them somewhere else, sustaining the system of nature. Maintaining the growth of plants and spreading them. How perfectly they have evolved... To play their part in nature in perfect harmony. To maintain balance. Nature is a system that sustains and maintains itself. How can all of this even exist, if it isn't through love?"
"Well that's just instincts," the Seeker argues. "You are just romanticizing some natural processes, that can easily be explained by science."
The two companions continue walking, they have a perfect view on the entire valley below and the mountain ranges in the distance.
The two companions continue walking, they have a perfect view on the entire valley below and the mountain ranges in the distance [https://img.wattpad.com/770ca55bc88c8363b1633f53fce4adc8aa33c6a2/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f344d417649634458592d715666673d3d2d313431323836313131382e3137613863636334626233313433363232333536393839303436332e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"When did you lose it," sighs the mysterious stranger with a saddened face.
"Your sense of wonder... Sure, anything can be logically explained. Because everything exits within the laws of logic and reason. But why should this take away the magic? We understand, how things work... Does that make it anyway less wonderful, less beautiful. Does it become less sacred, by being understood? If you still had that sense of wonder, that you had when you were a child... This endless joy... Then you could see it so clearly... You could see, that all of this is an expression of love."
As the mysterious stranger spreads out his hands, raising up his head towards the sky, a flock of birds is flying right behind him [https://img.wattpad.com/ac10abeda8f99586b3abe61e85d532fbfaf78d4d/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f586c6f686f55704c4744784e6f773d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363633864653335363134343634383536303235393137342e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
As the mysterious stranger spreads out his hands, raising up his head towards the sky, a flock of birds is flying right behind him. In the background, the Seeker has a perfect view on the entire valley, the trees, the river and the mountains. As the dusk is setting, the sun is painting the sky and clouds in purple and orange colors.
"There is beauty in all things, my friend," speaks the mysterious stranger with a joyful grin. "You can find it everywhere. In the sky, in nature, in human beings... Even on the rainy days, when the sky is Grey, even then you can still find beauty within it. Even in darkest nights, the stars and the moon continue to shine their lights. This beauty in all things is an expression of love. The love of the infinite, of the eternal, expressed in the wonderful uniqueness of all things.
It is here. It was always here. For you to see, clearly. Find it in the real world. It is there, waiting for you to be found."
The Seeker was taken aback by a sudden new feeling, as if the words of the mysterious stranger alone had lifted up their mood [https://img.wattpad.com/6710b2fd7a22f6e424749f6ad3f20d8b0e4e12ff/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f6f2d6d664b427a34622d684177513d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363636332616430366564613839363936363131343031372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
The Seeker was taken aback by a sudden new feeling, as if the words of the mysterious stranger alone had lifted up their mood. As if something lit up inside them.
Suddenly a strange chant, thunders from the sky, singing:
"Plus Five Vibes"
"I- I don't know how to explain this," stutters the Seeker confused [https://img.wattpad.com/b9fa906c29ebbb0447d5d9cca0072515800d18ed/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f534754785a7442324e5a32696a773d3d2d313431323836313131382e313761386363653437313436636565323337373130333832313437372e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
"I- I don't know how to explain this," stutters the Seeker confused. "Something strange just happened. Like a wave of positive energy rushing over me."
The mysterious stranger grins. "You know, my dear friend. If you see things, as they are. If you see people, as they truly are. Without any bias. With a clear mind. With a complete understanding and absolute awareness. Then love is inevitable."
For the first time, the Seeker gets truly curious.
"What do you mean by that?" they ask the mysterious stranger.
TO BE CONTINUED