Love I do, whether I receive love or not!

When you look at someone in this world and think, "I cannot live without them, I will die without them"—there is no falser statement in all of human history! Business is conducted with calculations, but love never is! Love is always an incalculable reckoning!

If someone pays you no heed, stop right there. You cannot force attention from anyone—always remember this. The Creator sent us to this world as human beings, not as dogs. Even when a dog is ignored, it comes running back. But then again, I've noticed that if you ignore a dog too much, it gets angry and stops coming altogether. Some people lack even this basic dignity. How strange!

Yes, there are some people who have transcended all stages—human, dog, everything! Whether you acknowledge them or not, they keep coming back, again and again. I don't know if they're even human! They're neither dogs nor humans! Neither dog-humans nor human-dogs! What are they really? They're sparrows!

So when someone doesn't acknowledge you, understand this: you don't exist within their priorities. Forget their priorities—they simply cannot see in you the qualities they cherish! Now tell me, should you force yourself to love such a person!

Love is never about... "will you love me or not, tell me..."—that kind of thing. And when you look at someone in this world and think, "I cannot live without them, I will die without them"—there is no second lie greater than this in all of human history! When we tell someone, "I cannot live without you," at that moment... of all the lies ever told in this world, none has been greater than this. Because so many people say, "I cannot live without you!"—if each of these were true, it would actually be good for the world! The world's population would drop dramatically to one-third, and the world's burden would lighten a bit. I mean, two-thirds of the world's people would simply vanish if truly none of them could survive! This is why "I cannot live without you!" is utter nonsense.

So why are you so desperate for acknowledgment from someone who pays you no heed?! Even if you marry that person, will you truly be happy? That person will always neglect you, won't they? They'll belittle you, show you contempt! They'll always speak to you in ways that humiliate you!

Remember this: if being around someone makes you feel low, that person is not good for you. That person is not perfect for you. I say again, if someone's company makes you feel low, then that person is not perfect for you. The person whose company brings good feelings, positive emotions within you—that person is right for you. If you can simply check this one small thing—whether someone's company makes you feel good or bad—that's all you need! If it feels good, that person is right for you. If it feels bad, that person is absolutely wrong for you. Being able to check this small thing will free you from many confusions.

Never try to win acknowledgment from someone who doesn't acknowledge you. Don't you have any self-respect, friend! Try it! See for yourself! After seeing, you'll realize in time that they simply weren't meant for you in this world! And you weren't meant for them either! Someone who wasn't meant for you—even without getting them, you can live a life full of laughter and joy while loving them and being with someone else. Many people live this way. If you can accept this much, there's no problem at all.

Most importantly, even if they don't come into your life, even if you don't enter theirs, there should be no difficulty in loving them. Love isn't a condition. Love is a mental state. A psychological condition. A mental desire. A mental affection. This is what love is. There's no condition here that says you'll love if you get them, and won't if you don't! No such thing exists at all.

Rather, those who think that way have adulterated love. Their love is conditional. I will love the one I love whether I get them or not. I speak these words from conviction. In life, I wanted someone I never got. So did I die because I didn't get them? Did I cease to exist? Life isn't so fragile. Life is remarkably shameless—it persists despite everything.

The person I love may well pay me no heed! In fact, it's better not to go near the one I love at all. Because while I may love them, they might not love me back. So it's better not to go near them. What might happen is that some action of theirs, some behavior might hurt me so much that living itself becomes painful. Better than that is to not go anywhere near them. So even if someone doesn't acknowledge me, my fondness for them doesn't diminish. Even without gaining anyone's attention, you can love them silently, privately. It's far more peaceful to preserve your love by staying distant than to suffer by going near the one you love.

What is love, really? There's no question of worthiness here, no question of qualification at all. The whole thing is of the heart. Who loves whom or doesn't—this entire matter is of the heart. There's no equation here, no calculation. Business is conducted with calculations, love never is. This is why when someone doesn't acknowledge you, there's no need to keep going to them, no need to sell your self-respect. This isn't right. There's absolutely no need for it. It's far better to not trouble someone with hatred than to trouble them with love. Think a little about yourself, look at yourself. Love with your heart poured out, not with your self-respect poured out. That's all there is to it!