A Return to Love summary

Even though the fearful modern world tries to cover it up, the reality of life is that we’re surrounded by love. In fact, you could say that we’re all part of a gigantic sea of love.

For millennia, people have been searching for the right words to describe this sea of love, and many cultures have called it God. Whatever name it goes by, it all starts with everyone being part of the same mind.

If you’re familiar with the stories of recovering alcoholics or drug addicts, you’ve probably heard about someone who reached rock bottom and found God.

This is a common occurrence, so you might think of religion as salvation for weak people who are at a desperate moment in their lives and willing to grab on to whatever they can. But a more accurate explanation is that hitting rock bottom allows someone to finally let go of their hopes and, importantly, their fears. And it’s in this uncluttered mind that God is able to enter.

A common problem in modern society is for people to be confused about their purpose in life and feel unfulfilled by their career.

That’s where our egos come into play. So many of us are driven by our egos, which practically guarantees that we’ll make bad decisions. The ego is another part of our being that keeps us feeling separate from one another and engaged in desperate acts of self-preservation and survival. And, since our instincts for survival are based on gaining status and power, these are the things the ego pushes us toward.

Having the right attitude is more important than you think. In fact, the majority of the hardship we experience is due to our attitude toward other people. Think about it: how much of your sense of happiness and well-being is dependant on your friends, family or romantic relationships?

Now, imagine how much relief you could experience if you were to let go of these burdens and let God take over.

If someone has hurt you, either through lies, criticism or betrayal, it’s especially hard to let go of bad feelings and allow for positive thoughts.

Fortunately, there are practical steps you can take to bring about forgiveness. For example, you can start by making kind gestures to those who have hurt you in the past.

Of course, it’s rarely so easy as deciding to live more happily and then simply doing so. This is especially the case for people who experienced troubled childhoods. People with difficult childhoods often have difficulties throughout their lives.

Often, when we interact with people who underwent troubled childhoods, we struggle to understand and accept that past trauma can cause someone to hurt your feelings. After all, when your feelings are hurt, your instinct is to push back at them instead of trying to understand the reasons for their behavior.