Balancing Love and Law for Sustainability

“The love of God does not supersede His laws and His commandments, and the effect of God’s laws and commandments does not diminish the purpose and effect of His love.” – Anonymous

Love and law are the two sides of a coin. Neither of them can be compromised, whether in the day-to-day activities of an individual or in the sustainable development of a nation or worldwide progress. It is difficult to imagine a world with no love and law. Without love, there would be no purpose to life. The human touch would disappear, and the world would not be a place worth living. Similarly, without law, there would be no system, no controls, and this would lead to anarchy.

Where, on one hand, law guides and shapes everything in the world by its do’s and don’ts, on the other hand, love is the factor that provides liveliness to life. Today, the world is experiencing them one at a time — where there is love, they are unable to follow laws, and where they follow laws, they restrict themselves from love. Hence, the biggest challenge faced by many today is how to keep a balance between these two factors, which are perceived to be opposites by the majority. To love lawfully and practice laws lovingly is what everyone seeks, and it is also the need of the hour.

The Misunderstanding of Love and Law

The main reason for not experiencing this balance is not understanding the real meaning of ‘love’ and ‘law’. Often, love is misunderstood as a weakness, and law is considered something binding and restricting. People believe that laws will become paralyzed with the presence of love, and to practice love, laws need to be broken. Due to the inability to walk along in life with both the factors hand in hand, they tend to choose either of the two.

The Growing Disconnect with Love and Law

Today, if asked whether the new generation follows laws or understands the language of love, the majority would stand among the ones saying a big ‘NO’ to both questions. Have we ever wondered why? As a result of the confusion between love and law, and the inability of their elders to keep a balance, they are drifting towards using neither of the two.

The upcoming generation neither likes discipline and laws, nor understands the value of love. Generations have been blaming each other for not following what is to be followed. The elderly blame their younger generation for not teaching the kids properly, while the younger ones blame the previous generations for not progressing with the fast-moving times. Why have we trapped ourselves in this blame game, and what is the solution out?

The Importance of Balance

We all know that everything in this world has value, till it is used in the proper quantity and at the proper time and place. Similarly, practicing love and law with their true understanding and in the required amount and place is the key to balancing them. Let us delve deeper into understanding the true meaning of love and law.

Understanding Love

Love is the only language common to every living entity on earth, be it humans, animals, or any other species, irrespective of country, caste, religion, or any other barrier. It is the first language that we understand the moment we are born. No one teaches us how to love because it’s our own nature. A newborn does not know how to speak, nor does he understand words, but feels secure and happy the moment he is in the lap of his mother or father. This love becomes strength for the child. A pet who may not know our language also understands a touch full of love by its master, enabling it to be so faithful that it protects its master. Hence, love is the seed to many other values.

History has many incidences where love has won wars. It is said that love is such a power that it can shake mountains. But then, why do we say that we are unable to get our work done through love? Or that dealing with love does not work in today’s world? Definitely, somewhere our understanding or way of practicing love is incomplete.

The True Meaning of Love

Love is a pure feeling of the self. It is our true nature. It only knows how to give and construct. It never desires anything in return. It is not attachment or attraction to others, but is the pure affection towards them. This affection does not support them in the wrong, but encourages them to walk on the right path if they have gone astray.

Love becomes a ray of light for a person who has lost hope. But the irony today is that we are unable to experience this true feeling because we are hardly connected to ourselves. Most of the time, we look outside, searching for love in the materialistic world, unaware of our inner treasures. Due to materialization of love, it transforms into attachment or attraction. These false forms of love harm society by breeding insecurity, rebellion, and, in extreme cases, hatred.

We are not unaware of incidents today where lovers do not hesitate to commit heinous acts, such as murder, in the name of love. Sadly, they lack the understanding of the law of love.

Love and Law: The Interconnection

The biggest law of nature is love, and love itself has its own laws. Both are interdependent and inseparable. Talking about law, it is the essential force that drives the universe. Everything, including nature, has its own laws. We are aware of the devastation that occurs with the slightest deviation of nature from its laws.

In one’s life, laws are like the string tied to a kite. At first, it may seem that the string is restricting the kite from flying high, but we all know the truth. If the string is cut and the kite is left to fly on its own, it will eventually come down. This is the importance of laws in our life. They are not bondages, but the strings of strength that support us and guide us to rise and achieve new heights.

The Role of Love in Law

A person who spreads love and whose actions are always lawful automatically receives everyone’s love and appreciation. Laws are the roots of one’s personality, and the water needed to strengthen these roots is love. Law cannot function without love, as it would induce fear. If a child is shouted at to learn the smallest discipline of life, it is doubtful whether the child learns the discipline, but it is certain that he learns to shout whenever he wants to teach something to someone else. In this process of teaching discipline, we unknowingly teach the child that discipline cannot be imbibed with love, and this vicious cycle continues.

A person who only follows laws without love becomes unapproachable and is not appreciated either. Similarly, a person who is lovely in nature would be of no inspiration to himself or others if the foundation of laws and discipline is weak.

Achieving a Balanced Personality

To have a complete personality and be able to do justice with all kinds of jobs and relationships, a perfect balance of love and law is required. For this, we need to stop searching outside and start connecting to the self, for therein lies the treasure.

The Power of Self-Awareness

We all know that everything in this world is temporary, including our physical bodies. But what is permanent is the energy that drives this body — that is the real me — the self. The self, also known as the soul, is the embodiment of virtues like peace, love, happiness, purity, power, and cooperation. However, due to lack of self-awareness, we are unable to experience these qualities. All these years, the inner virtues have been locked inside us, and the only key to unlocking them is self-awareness or soul-consciousness.

Moving from Body-Consciousness to Soul-Consciousness

The opposite of soul-consciousness is body-consciousness, which has become so natural these days. We spend our entire lives thinking, “I am this,” and “I am that,” but towards the end, we ponder who the actual ‘I’ really is. Is it necessary to wake up at the end of life? Why not experience our true self during this wonderful journey?

Meditation: The Key to Inner Transformation

Connecting to the self is a journey of the soul from the external world to the internal space. Knowledge and introspection are the tools to help in this journey. Once we gain the knowledge of who we truly are — that we are all souls — we need to practice those qualities in daily life. Being in soul-consciousness automatically changes our vision towards others. We realize that, like me, others are also pure energy, full of virtues, but unfortunately unaware of their capabilities.

Building a Character of Balance

When we obey all the laws of our true nature — love, peace, happiness, power, etc. — we regain the inner strength to walk the path of righteousness and lead a disciplined life. By practicing our original virtues in our day-to-day activities, we build our personality balanced with love and law. This balanced personality protects us in every situation.

For instance, if we are known to be a person of values, always doing things in the right manner, and if a situation of blame arises, our impression of good conduct would speak for us, and others would find it hard to disbelieve the truth.

The Ripple Effect of Soul-Consciousness

A soul-conscious person naturally radiates virtues in the surroundings. Others can feel the aura of positivity in their presence. Their life becomes an inspiration to others. This self-transformation is the only tool to bring about sustainable transformation in society.