There’s a lot of pain and suffering in the world right now. A lot of people hurting each other and it’s easy to feel sad about the state of our tiny planet. It’s even easier to feel angry at others  but doesn’t that fly in the face of unconditional love? If I aspire to love others unconditionally, and respect we’re all on our own journey then my love must know no borders or take sides. Ooooh, I am feeling challenged about my beliefs now.

Personally, this week I’m angry that some of my goals are unable to be completed. On the local front  this week, I heard about the funding cuts being made to womens’ refuges in NSW, and I felt angry that an already victimised section of our society is being abandonded yet again. Nationally I feel angry about the silence surrounding our treatment of refugees and wonder why two young boys were suddenly whisked away to a detention centre in Darwin from from their home in Adelaide. I’m angry about all the lives lost internationally these past few weeks – even the ones not reported in the media. For the instances I can readily follow though (MH17 and Israel/Gaza) I’m angry that death seems to be the only means of communication. What do I do with this anger when I so badly want to love everyone unconditionally?

Let’s face it, I can feel the irritation rising if someone steals my parking spot. How can I possibly manage to love when people are hurting one another so badly?

For me, remembering that all these people are simply doing the best they know how at this point in time makes it easier to love them. The person hindering my goals, the person cutting the state budgets, the person writing policies about refugees, the person firing on an aircraft or bombing a city must feel, for them, at that point in time, they have no other option.  I don’t agree with them, and I certainly don’t like the results, but I understand that in their opinion this is the best option. If I can try to understand them, I can begin to love them. If I carry with me a sense of loving others I begin to appreciate how we’re all connected, and my trivial concerns become insignificant. Love brings connection; connection brings awareness and awareness brings a focus on what’s really important in this life. Feels like a peaceful existence to me.

If love is the answer, it must start with me because if I can practice unconditional love then perhaps I can show my children that making the best choice they can becomes easier when that choice comes from love without conditions. It’s not an easy concept to adopt, and I don’t know if it is truly achievable when personally confronted with atrocities, but right now there must be a better way…

Have a wonderful week everyone xx

• Bio

Leanne Faulkner

An Australian entrepreneur, I share my experience building a business from my kitchen to the world retail stage, and all the lessons I learnt about myself along the way. This is not a start-up guide or business blog, but rather reflections on my personal insights as an entrepreneur and more importantly, as myself. I built a successful skin care company, but realised the gift was never about the soap...the gift was about me. I hope my experience and reflections will benefit others on their life journey. Welcome x