Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

Do you know how many times we're told that in the bible?  According to a website I read, it's eight.  Eight times.  We are told in different instances that we should love our neighbors, whoever they may be, in the same way, to the same magnitude, that we love ourselves.

Well no wonder this world is in the shape that it's in!

Most people treat themselves like crap.  People everywhere have no self respect, take little pride in themselves, and at times truly hate who they are to the world.  Between stress and depression and trying to be all things to all people, we beat ourselves into the ground...to the detriment of our very character and any relationships we might actually be trying to maintain.

And oftentimes, those same feelings get pushed out to the ones we love, to our friends and co-workers, to the strangers in our paths.  We are perpetuating our feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing onto those around us.

So we really are loving our neighbors as ourselves.  We simply don't love ourselves.

Okay, I know I should be speaking for myself instead of all people.  And I think this post describes to a T exactly how I've felt this week.  But I see it all around me too.

Maybe the message needs to be, "Love yourself."