I exhort you to love another human being. You may expect it to happen naturally, without deliberation. That is false. We are anti-love. We’ve taken a microscope to everyone to bring out their flaws and shortcomings. It is far easier to find a reason not to love someone, than otherwise. Rejection requires only one reason. Love requires complete acceptance. It is hard work.

But loving someone has great benefits. There is admiration, learning, attraction and something which, for the want of a better word, we call happiness. In loving someone, we become inspired to better ourselves in every way. We learn the truth worthlessness of material things. We celebrate being human.

Loving someone is therefore very important. Love doesn’t happen at first sight, across a crowded dance floor, OR by chance. It grows slowly, sinking roots first before branching and blossoming. It is not a silly weed, but a mighty tree that weathers every storm.

It is also important to choose the right person. Not all soils are fertile. Not all seeds take root. You will find, when you have someone to love, that the face is less important than the brain, and the body is less important than the heart. You will find that there is no half-measure when it comes to loving someone. You either don’t, or you do with every cell in your body, completely and utterly, without reservation or apology. It consumes you, and you are reborn, all the better for it. Here you will find that it is no great tragedy if your love is not reciprocated. You are not doing it to be loved back. Its value is to inspire you.