Your love from relations and relationships

How is it that humanity is becoming lonelier while the population of the planet is rapidly rising beyond eight billion people? We are talking with each other less in person, demonstrating love with our presence. Our hearts stir when we are with those we love, don’t they?

Love is best available in person with others present. Start by loving yourself to have love for yourself to share with others. In order for Boulder City to thrive, love must be the bottom line.

Evidence of us enjoying each other less can be found when in situations with many paying more attention to their cell phones than others who are present. When we enjoy each other less in person, we have decided that other human beings are less relevant, haven’t we? That appears to have also led to the realization that it would be more convenient — as well as cheaper — if we could design computer chips and programs or algorithms to answer our phone calls as well as take our orders while ultimately replacing human beings. It could be obvious by now that this is a travesty mostly designed to save money while improving the profitability of corporations.

In order for humans to continue to progress, we require in-person interactions, along with a desire to hold a relative point of view creating meaning, thereby offering potential solutions to problems. From my experience as a council member and mayor of Boulder City, council members are not usually free to choose the issues or subjects brought to the city council. They therefore must transcend any uncomfortable feelings arising from human interactions in order to hear others’ positions, thereby achieving resolutions. When this happens, our governing officials provide a useful example of interactions with love. A good example of this is the resolution of downtown parking.

Human beings are designed to interact with each other in person as well as verbally with our voices and our bodies providing most of any message. How could we possibly understand each other in texts, emails or posts on the internet when, according to UCLA professor emeritus Albert Mehrabian, over 90% of any shared meaning comes from body language as well as tone of voice?

Devices attached to the internet require updating, don’t they? Whenever this occurs, without question, we do what is required to update the programming of our devices. Why is it when we need to update our relationships we often feel uncomfortable while attempting to avoid these required updates instead of taking time to share love? It is a matter of the most prevalent perspective in the human race. This perspective is constantly providing a forge for a furnace creating love for the world.

I’m retired while my wife continues to be employed. I often am watching the news when she gets home. When she walks in the door, I turn off the TV in order to update my relationship with her. Which is more important, devices attached to the internet or our relations? Relations and relationships are the most important aspects of our lives. Relationships are that which cures our souls, allowing for us to grow in love.

A Harvard study was seeking to answer similar questions. The study, its methodology, and results are described in three books by principal investigators in the study. Given the ages of the participants, the study is now examining the lives of the more than 2,000 children. The core conclusion of the study is simple. The clearest message is this: Good relationships enhance health as well as happiness. The study is currently under the direction of Dr. Robert J. Waldinger at Massachusetts General Hospital. The conclusion of his book “The Good Life” is that life is relationships. My findings are similar, with a focus on love.

We require each other to thrive as humankind, don’t we? Why isn’t there more love in the world? As we talk less and less to each other, we are feeling lonelier.

When I was a child, there were 2.5 billion people who spoke to each other on a regular basis either in person or on telephones. Loneliness was not the issue it is today. We need each other to stimulate the love that we are in our hearts. It is why our hearts feel better when we resolve our differences in person with a smile, empathy and love. We do not receive or send love to other people effectively unless we are with them in person. Love is always the answer.

Eric L. Lundgaard is president of the Aquarian Theosophy Foundation and was mayor and city council member from 1985-1997.