The Existential Significance of Love

At the core of all the different kinds of love is the judgment that the beloved person, place, object, or the whole universe is intrinsically good, that their existence is good, that it is good that they are in the world. To love someone is the joy that they exist. It can be for some like allowing them to be. To love and to be are deeply connected.

   To be loved is almost like being given permission to be. We can't give ourselves this permission. I can't just pronounce: I love myself, and therefore, feel justified. I can only intelligibly find myself lovable if someone loves me. If we are not loved by our mothers and fathers, what hope do we have of ever finding ourselves lovable? Narcissism is the defense of a self that was not loved, or loved in a counterfeit way. 

  I think this idea leads to God.