Love or the Lack of it

Over the years, I’ve noticed a recurring truth: every time my heart feels restless, it’s because of love—or the absence of it. Love is the ultimate reason behind almost everything we experience.

Think about it: when someone walks into a room and doesn’t say hello, it’s not just a matter of bad manners. It makes you feel invisible. That sense of invisibility steals your peace because, deep down, you don’t feel loved by that person. And I mean not loved, which is different from unloved.

When we feel a sense of injustice, it often stems from a lack of love toward someone. It could be as small as someone eating the last piece of cake without asking if anyone else wanted some, or as inconsiderate as not replacing the toilet paper roll. I remember once rushing to make it to a meeting on time, only to find my friends arriving 30 minutes—sometimes even an hour—late.

The examples are endless, but here’s what I’ve realized: whenever our hearts feel battered, if we pause and dig deep enough, we’ll always reach the same conclusion—it’s love or the lack of it.

This works the other way around too. When our hearts feel like they’re bursting with gratitude or joy, the root cause is love. We feel profoundly loved—by someone or maybe by many.

I don’t usually consider myself an anxious person, but one day I felt unusually anxious. I couldn’t understand why, and that lack of clarity unsettled me. After talking to a friend, he suggested something that changed my perspective: “What if your anxiety is trying to tell you what you truly desire? What if it’s uncovering a longing so deep you haven’t even recognized it yet?” That idea made so much sense! Feeling like something is wrong is often what pushes us into motion. Whether it’s injustice, rage, sadness, or anxiety, these feelings can serve as starting points for change.

So, whenever we feel our hearts restless, that sense of longing can be powerful. It’s crucial not to waste it. Look at it, think about it, and try to discover where it’s pointing you. Asking ourselves, “Which lack of love shook me to my core?” can be a great way to work toward love and find peace.

Have you ever traced a feeling of restlessness back to love—or the lack of it? What did you discover?