Dear Readers:

Love is usually defined as a deep affection for someone or something. There are many types of love and they all affect you in different ways at different points in our lives. For instance, a baby cannot be romantically involved with anyone due to its brain development, but a 26 year old can recognize their feelings for other people and decide for themselves that they love someone. We all need love in our lives, one way or another.

Everyone needs love to lead a full and healthier life. One reason being we all need someone to trust and talk to at our worst moments. For instance, if someone is going through a hard spot in their life, having someone you love and trust will help them through the challenges we face in our lives significantly. Someone more disconnected from people, and possibly raised with more family problems, may feel that love is not needed in their life. These people are probably more likely to not have anyone close, and they are probably not living a very happy life because of this distance from everyone. So even though they don't have anyone, many would admit, it would be nice to have someone to share their life with. Now, looking more at the physical and health benefits of love, if your significant other likes to work out or try new diets, you are likely to do these things with them and pick up beneficial things for your own lifestyle. Self love is just as important as other types of love, and even the first step to devoting a part of yourself to someone else. According to Emma Sopala, “ self compassionate people recognize that being imperfect, failing, and experiencing life difficulties are inevitable, so they tend to be gentle with themselves when confronted with painful experiences rather than getting angry when life falls short of set ideals”(Self-compassion Outweighs Self-Esteem). Breaking this down, it is important to love and give pieces of yourself to others, but when you don't like said pieces, it is much more difficult to do.

It is so important for young children to feel loved and nurtured growing up. According to Hamilton,  “...It’s like the genetics of the children quickly adapt to their environment. If there is insufficient emotional richness and stimuli to grow into, the body sees no need to waste energy in growing into such an environment and so the growth genes shut down”(The Need to Love). This is a good example of what happens when love isn't around a growing child. If they lack this love and nurturing, they are more likely to grow up more introverted, and the brain function is even decreased. According to Why Children Need Love to Grow, “...It’s not just growth genes that respond to environment. The love hormone “hugging hormone” oxytocin, plays a crucial role too. Oxytocin contributes to the growth of many of the body’s cells” (Hamilton). People do not desire love in this case; they need it in order to grow.

Keeping in mind that love is very important in our lives, let’s say you voluntarily had a child with someone in the future. Can you see yourself taking care of this child only as a task, or a duty? Would you not feel the need to protect and spend time with this child? If you didn’t nurture and love it, their entire life and even personality would be affected. If our generation focused on loving, nurturing, and protecting our future children, the next generation of people would be happier, and mentally healthier. You are the way you are because of how you were raised. Would you raise your future children the way you were raised?

Sincerely,

Madison J.