free \\ it's all what you believe

It's been written that Buddha once spoke:

If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.

I just realized that if this statement is true, then the reverse is as well:

If you truly loved another, you could never hurt yourself.

The immense love I feel should apply to myself just as much as it does to the rest of the people in my life and all of the members of this planet. I've gone through such intense periods of overwhelming deep love and empathy for various people and humanity as a whole...so much so that at some points, it literally felt like my heart was breaking because of it. I am now seeing that, in spite of all this intense love and empathy for everything outside of me,  I never have consciously experienced self-love. On the surface, I may have thought I had...though I never really thought about it. Then, after the last four years, I slowly allowed my self-esteem to dwindle and ultimately reached a point of total disconnection where I consciously haven't held any sort of loving care and understanding toward myself. Just shame and regret.

But the fact that I that I feel I could never hurt someone or something else goes to show that I am capable. Deep down, my soul holds nothing but love and patience.

If I could never hurt another, I must truly love myself. 

I just need to remember this fact and not allow the mind to blind my soul. From this moment forward, I am setting an intention of remembrance...and I know I have guidance to succeed.