It takes courage to truly love, to expose ourselves to the risk of not living up to the standard and the fear of having something great to lose. When we love, we become vulnerable, because to love is also to give power to the other. Or so our society sees it: indeed, when someone loves you, you can use that love to your advantage, to manipulate the other person and force them to do even what they had never thought of doing in your name. But what if we see this power as a force? True love is serenity, clarity and a source of life. Knowing that we are loved makes us want to go further, to be better and makes us capable of facing fears, illnesses and other challenges. That is the only power we should attribute to love.

Only the strong can look into another person’s eyes and say: you matter, in my eyes you have worth. We could save the world if we were able to recognise this strength that flows through every human being, if we welcomed it and made better use of it.

Yes, by loving with all our hearts, we run the risk of getting hurt.

But for me, the biggest risk is not living.

Weakness is not kissing a partner, not giving a hug to a stranger, not making a point of saying every day how much we love our children or not being able to give a word of support to a friend.

Loving with a closed heart is not loving. To love with pride, prejudice or other limits is not to love. True love is an act of courage, but also of self-love and love for the world. When I love, I give; when I give, I receive; when I receive, I am happy; and when I am happy I want to give even more, because my love grows. I am my best and strongest version when I love and give.

We are born with the capacity to feel very powerful emotions and feelings, such as love, empathy and compassion. These days, we need to bring out the best in ourselves. Only this way will we be able to transform society and save humanity.

For inspiration, check out The Revolutionary Love Project by Valarie Kaur.