If a scientist wrote this post then the proof would likely be akin to a study that you cannot verify, or a complex formula that you would need to invest some trust in to believe.

But I am not a scientist, and so when I try to prove a point to someone, I do so with the information they already possess in their head, so that no trust need be invested for an understanding to be reached.

Today I would like to prove to you that there is no force out there stronger than love, and that if we want to start moving in a better direction, all we must do is learn to love one another.

The proof

• If a single mother with crippling social anxiety turned around in a busy shopping centre to notice that her child was missing, the love she feels for her child will provide her with the confidence necessary to start asking anyone and everyone whether they had seen her child.

• If a brother who cannot swim and is consequently scared of the ocean was walking down the pier when his younger brother fell into the sea, that fear of swimming would be suppressed by his love for his brother, provoking him to dive into the water to try and save him.

• If a person who has never been on holiday for fear of flying received a phonecall explaining that their significant other was being held prisoner in a foreign jail, and that only by travelling to that country and signing documents could they be freed, the love between them would overwhelm their fear of flying so that they can travel where they need to.

• If a woman who has a lot of cats, and who suffers from a fear of fire, returning home to discover her house burning to the ground, a strong enough love for her feline friends would be the answer to her fears, and provide her with what she needs in order to run into that house and save as many as she could.

The truth is, if we love anyone or anything enough, then the desire to protect or hold onto the person or thing can be an empowering force. I gave only examples of what I would refer to as healthy instances of love. But, the same holds true in many other circumstances. For example, bribery, kidnapping, coercion and other forms of blackmail are useful practices only because the subject in question loves something enough to be willing to engage.

We know this, for even a lover of money might give all their money away to save their child, and a lover of freedom and comfort might be willing to do just about anything for a blackmailer to preserve theirs. Even a stuttering teen with one friend in the whole world might betray that friend for a chance at a moment's social acceptance, something they experienced only one time prior in their life and loved more than anything else.

If you dig deep enough into this philosophy, you might find that every bad thing a person does in this world, they do for love of one thing or another. For just as a healthy love can overwhelm our fears and allow us to do that which we could never do without it, so too does an unhealthy love overwhelm our sense of morality and lead us to do things we would never do otherwise.

So now that you know the power of love to be an overwhelming force that can conquer not only our fears, but our morality, I challenge you to closely examine what you love.

Is a love for money, possessions, admiration or social standing hovering over your innate sense of morality, ready to crush your idea of what is right at the first threat of loss, or glimpse of potential gain?

Or is your love for the well-being of others negating your fears of what might happen if you do what you know is right and good?

Love is far more than a feeling. Love is an invaluable resource, and we should all be wise enough to spend ours in the right places. For we will always be beholden to the things and people we love, and so we had better do all we can to ensure that what we love is deserving of it, and is healthy for us and the world.

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