Driven by true love and care, giving advice to a family member or a friend should NOT be confused with the often misused term "conditional love".
"Conditional love", in my humble opinion, is an oxymoron.
Let me explain:
When conditions are imposed in a relationship, then it becomes more of a transaction, one that addresses the needs of the person invoking the condition(s). That, in it and of itself is a major departure from "true love".
In its simplest form: "true love" is built on mutual respect and mutual acceptance of the differences between the parties concerned. This includes differences in opinion where "agreeing to disagree" is a key cornerstone of a healthy loving relationship.
If you believe that "conditional love" is an oxymoron, then the use of the term "unconditional love" is worthy of the following consideration:
Based on the above reasoning, there's only one form of love, namely "true love". If that notion sits well with you, then perhaps you will agree that the word "unconditional" is redundant in the same way as the word "back" in the commonly misused term "returning back"! There's only one place to return to and that is "back"!
In closing, I wish to invoke one more notion for your consideration. Conditional friendship also, by and large, conforms to the above analysis about love. However, unlike the case of love, if and when the word "conditional" is used in describing a friendship it implies that before the conditions were placed the parties were adversaries as is the case of friendly and (once upon a time unfriendly) countries! Examples are beyond the scope of this note but I'm sure you can think of some!!!
I am open to comments and advice on the above thoughts because I truly love you!
Hani Badawi
February 24, 2017
"Conditional love", in my humble opinion, is an oxymoron.
Let me explain:
When conditions are imposed in a relationship, then it becomes more of a transaction, one that addresses the needs of the person invoking the condition(s). That, in it and of itself is a major departure from "true love".
In its simplest form: "true love" is built on mutual respect and mutual acceptance of the differences between the parties concerned. This includes differences in opinion where "agreeing to disagree" is a key cornerstone of a healthy loving relationship.
If you believe that "conditional love" is an oxymoron, then the use of the term "unconditional love" is worthy of the following consideration:
Based on the above reasoning, there's only one form of love, namely "true love". If that notion sits well with you, then perhaps you will agree that the word "unconditional" is redundant in the same way as the word "back" in the commonly misused term "returning back"! There's only one place to return to and that is "back"!
In closing, I wish to invoke one more notion for your consideration. Conditional friendship also, by and large, conforms to the above analysis about love. However, unlike the case of love, if and when the word "conditional" is used in describing a friendship it implies that before the conditions were placed the parties were adversaries as is the case of friendly and (once upon a time unfriendly) countries! Examples are beyond the scope of this note but I'm sure you can think of some!!!
I am open to comments and advice on the above thoughts because I truly love you!
Hani Badawi
February 24, 2017
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