“The first test of love is that it knows no bargaining. So long as you see a man love another only to get something from him, you know that it is not love; it is shopkeeping.”
— Swami Vivekananda
People get upset when they can’t find “true love.” What they really mean is, “I can’t find someone to make me feel good the way I want to.” In effect, they want to take love from someone else. But love cannot be taken; it can only be given.
Loving with the hope of an exchange is a transaction. How will this free you from the chains of the world? If anything, it will trap you even further — the more you get, the more you want.
But when you give love to your family, friends, and your work, when you accept them as they are, you will change as a person. You will do things because you can, not because you have to. You will not hesitate to say “no” when needed. And you will extend the same love unto yourself.
Pure, true love, cleanses you. It unlocks aspects within that make you a better person. And by freeing you from obligation, it sets you free.