I don’t think unconditional love exists (nor should exist).

I think it’s just another social or literary construct. It's appealing but ultimately elusive, if not fake.

I just came across a short video by one of the Instagram influencers where she talks about unconditional love. Her point is that she’s prepared to create a safe space for people to show up as true, authentic selves, and she expects the same in return — unconditional love, love without conditions.

She made me think. I disagreed.

One of the indisputable realities of our existence is that there is no perfection in the world. And what is perfection anyway? Every human being on this planet has traits that will be perceived as negative by other people or even by the individual himself or herself. We can be decent people and yet suffer from many weaknesses — insecurities, impatience, stubbornness, messiness, inattentiveness, and so on, not to mention the more obvious vices like addictions or committing outright mistakes or unethical acts.

Nature is not perfect. Nature creates cancer and wreaks havoc with natural disasters that bring devastation, death, and pain.

Life is not perfect.

Accepting imperfection is fine. We don’t have a choice anyway. But loving it?

When I think about love, I think about my family, of course, first and foremost. My parents, my wife, and my four kids.