When we're too attached to something, a thing, a place or even a person, we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture. We become so infatuated with our obsessions that they become addictions, and those addictions rule our lives and define who we are. It is all too easy to live in the darkness of somebody else's shadow.

I know it can cause quite a stir when somebody tells you to let go of something, especially if it's a loved one. But I've seen so many people cling onto someone with all their heart and in turn forget about all the other people that care for them.

I also realize that as humans, our souls gravitate towards some people more than others. You'll always have people you love more than others. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about when you become so obsessed with another individual that you lose sight of who you are, when you cannot make any choices without that person.

Yes, a person can be controlled and manipulated by love. It can be a really unsettling thought. We even hate out of love, the ultimate paradox. But when we make a choice that hurts others, out of love for something else, can such a decision be justified?

I don't think so. We tend to have greater sympathy for people that hurt others because they THINK they're hurting us, but lately we've seen the darker side of such emotions. Just look at the situation in Iraq, it's entirely based on that principle!

I want you to love, please do not get me wrong. I want you to love with every part of your body. I want you to continue taking care of other people, just as you take care of yourself. I just don't want us to ever hurt anybody in the name of love and goodness because when we do that it's neither love nor goodness. Love doesn't have a limit, and when we can't let go we put a limit on love and make it into something else.

© Sam Leonard
Life Channels Staff Writer
All Rights Reserved

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