It seems that every time you turn on the news, all that you see is hate and violence. Most news stations don't cover any uplifting stories and only focus on the bad events that plague our world. I have often said that there should be a segment entitled "Faith in Humanity Restored" where they show footage taken from security cameras of random acts of kindness. We need to see that even though there are a lot of bad things happening throughout the world, there is still so much good happening too. A lot of our problems in life could be solved with a little less hate and a lot more love. If we are taught to love others then we wouldn't see so much pointless cruelty. There are three things we need to learn to love in order to live a life that is a light in this dark world.

The first thing we need to learn to love is God. God is constantly there to guide our lives, and loves us despite our flaws. He knows our hearts and minds better than we can even imagine. God knows the number of hairs on our head, and holds our tears in his hands. God loves so much that he sent his son to die for us. If there is any person to look to for an example of how to love then it would be our Heavenly Father. In my life whenever I felt alone and frightened, I always turn to God with a prayer for help and peace. He has been with me in moments when no one else in my life could be, and the moments when I would become lost in my mind, God was there to bring me comfort. In moments of hidden tears He was there to dry them, and in times of heartbreak, He comforted me in ways that He is only capable of. Loving God is something that becomes easier to do the older I get, and it teaches me better than anything else how to love others.

The second thing we must learn to love is others. Some say that this is impossible to do if you don't first love yourself, but I don't think that's true. So often I have observed that many loving souls are much harder on themselves than on others. We tend to be able to see all our flaws and hate ourselves for them, but the beauty in being loved by others is that they are capable of loving us despite the things we ourselves think are unlovable. It is important, however, to love without asking for anything in return. Just because we love someone and wish for them to be happy, doesn't mean we should expect their love or anything else in return. I think there is something beautiful in feeling the freedom of loving a person's soul and being able to pray for them. We need to learn that loving others may sometimes break our heart, but that shouldn't stop us. Love your family, even though they won't always believe in you. Love people, even though they will let you down. Love beautiful conversations had at two in the morning, love pieces of art that speak to your soul, love songs that perfectly depict your feelings, and love books that you can find peace in.

Once you have learned to love all the things listed above you will learn to love yourself. Loving yourself can be hard, it seems that sometimes there isn't anything lovable there, but you have so much that makes you wonderful. Learn to love your intelligence, and your imagination. Learn to love your creativity, your courage, and your heart. Love the love that you are capable of giving to others. You need to love the physical aspects of yourself too, but that is so small compared to the things that truly make you who you are. When you truly care about someone you come to the realization that you had stopped seeing their physical self a long time ago in favor for their personality.

I believe that once we learn all of these different types of love, we will see a major change. If everyone learned that love is so much better than mindless hate, then this world would be a very different place. When we set aside selfish agendas and hurtful messages, we find that all we are left is kindness and love. I'm an optimist, and I believe that there is still hope in tomorrow. Love God, love others, and love yourself, because this world needs a little more love in it.