My Ode to Love: The Deepest Source of Joy of Living

Recently, I listened to a talk that deeply touched me. The speaker said something that went straight to my soul:“Love is the only thing that can make the soul immortal.”I found myself softly emotional — like the taste of strawberry ice cream on the first day of summer. My heart responded, perhaps because my soul recognised the truth in this powerful sentence.

According to my doctoral research, one of the most powerful and consistent sources of joy of living — especially for young adults — is belonging to meaningful relationships and being an active part of diverse communities. The experience of being seen, valued, and included creates an emotional and existential grounding that sustains us, even through life’s darker days.

And while my research focused on young adults, other studies show the same truth: meaningful belonging continues to be a core source of joy and vitality at every age - and becomes even more essential as we grow older.

You might ask:If love is so essential… why didn’t you list it as one of the elements of joy of living?

Because love is another level.And I’m not talking about romance or even platonic love. I’m talking about the deepest, purest kind of love — the kind that comes from the Divine. This kind of love can transcend into earthly forms, but not the other way around. Love with a capital L is not just an ingredient of joy of living — it’s the culmination. The ultimate experience. Think about it: if love really is the only thing that ensures the immortality of the soul, imagine its weight, its scope, its power. It’s not something we can just add to the list like any other virtue or practice.

That’s why I first spoke about gratitude, resilience, and wisdom — as the foundational elements that awaken our capacity for the joy of living. (If you haven’t read that post yet, I encourage you to access the link and dive in — it’ll give you more context for what I’m saying here.)

Love is the stage after we’ve reached that level of self where gratitude, resilience and wisdom stay at the core of our individuality leading our every choice and giving us the joy of living.But that doesn’t mean we must wait to get to the “next level” or earn our right to experience love. There’s no hierarchy in the evolution of the soul. Life doesn’t offer us a step-by-step curriculum. We grow in many directions at once. Sometimes gratitude comes before resilience. Sometimes wisdom before love. Sometimes love sparks everything else. The evolution of the self is like a magic dinner where you can it all - and even start with desert!

So… how do we experience love?

First of all, let’s acknowledge that love is an experience — one of the most complex and multifaceted we can have. Love is not just a feeling. It’s many feelings — plus symbols, actions (both conscious and unconscious), and an ongoing process. And no — it’s not just Hollywood romance!

Most people think of love as something to receive.Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone wants to belong. Everyone wants to feel seen, heard, held. Fair enough! But what most of us forget is that love — real Love — starts not with what we get, but with what we give…and what we experience.

Because we already have Love.

Our souls are made of Love.

Love already exists within us, because it is the very essence of the soul.

When we access that soul-level love, we begin to radiate it.

And when we radiate it, it touches others. The soul recognises itself in the other — and reflects love back in its purest, most unfiltered form.

To reach this kind of Love it takes time. Years. Maybe lifetimes. It requires knowing yourself to the core of your being, all the way deep down to your soul. But every step counts, even if it’s as big as a lifetime or as small as a smile.

Start here:

·       Appreciate what is — and who is — around you.

·       If you want to be noticed, notice.

·       If you want to belong, include.

·       Practice self-compassion.

The lack of self-compassion is one of the most common blocks on the journey to love. We are so preoccupied with being loved by others that we forget love is already within us, but until we see it, we won’t feel it.

So: Be love. Practice love. Don’t wait for it. Let love become a way of being.

Start with small gestures:

Tiny acts of kindness. Soft thoughts. Open eyes.

Open heart. Kind self-talk. Gentle words - to self and others.

A little more tolerance. A little more patience. A little more grace.

Embody love. Let your love show in how you care for yourself, how you speak, and even how you walk through this world.

And another thing: stop wasting love where it isn’t received - or where it is abused or perverted. Honour it by offering it wisely. Remember, you won’t love the devil into becoming an angel. You can still show respect without giving away your love to the undeserving.

This is how we build the kind of world we long for.

This is how we reconnect with the essence of who we are.

This is love.

And this is the joy of living.

And this is my ode to love. <3

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