Love: The First and Last Experience of Being Human
Love is the first thing we encounter when we enter this world. Before we understand words, logic, or even ourselves, we feel love—through warmth, touch, and presence. It comes in the form of a parent's embrace, the gentle voice that soothes us to sleep, the small yet profound acts of care that teach us we belong.
But love is not just given; it is discovered, shaped, and nurtured through experience. As we grow, we come to know love through family, childhood friendships, and eventually, romantic partners. These connections teach us about trust, vulnerability, joy, and heartbreak. Love is at once the most natural and the most mysterious force in our lives, guiding us through every phase of our existence.
What Defines Love?
If we strip away all the poetry and philosophy, what remains? Is love an emotion, a biological imperative, or a choice? At its core, love is the deep recognition of another’s existence, an embrace of their reality as part of our own. It is what dissolves the borders between self and other. Love is both an action and a state of being, something we express and something we cultivate within.
It is through love that we build civilizations, that we create art, that we find meaning in the mundane. Love is what fuels parents to nurture children, partners to support each other, and societies to protect their most vulnerable. It is the most powerful unifying force we know, and yet, it is often the most misunderstood.
The Importance of Self-Love
Many of us are taught to give love, but fewer are taught to receive it—especially from ourselves. We are quick to forgive others but slow to extend the same grace inward. Yet, self-love is the foundation upon which all other forms of love are built. Without it, love can become transactional, dependent on validation from others rather than a wellspring from within.
The inside-out philosophy of EXP. mirrors this understanding. Just as experiences shape us from within before we project them onto the world, love must begin internally before it can expand outward. To truly love the world, we must first recognize our own worth, our own needs, and our own humanity. Only then can we love deeply and without fear, giving not out of scarcity but out of abundance.
Love as a Force for Change
If there is one thing the world needs more of, it is love—not just in the personal sense, but in the collective one. Love, when expanded beyond individuals, becomes compassion, inclusion, and peace. It is the antidote to division, the force that reminds us of our shared existence. In a world often defined by conflict, competition, and fear, choosing love—actively, intentionally—is a radical act.
At EXP., we believe that every meaningful experience is, at its core, about love. Love for what we create. Love for the people we share it with. Love for the journey itself. Whether it’s in designing spaces, crafting stories, or building sustainable futures, love is what turns our work from transactions into transformations.
So as we move through this month, reflecting on love in all its forms, let’s ask ourselves:
- How do we define love in our lives?
- How do we practice love—not just for others, but for ourselves?
- How can we expand love beyond personal relationships and into the world?
Love is not just an emotion. It is an experience. And like all experiences, it has the power to shape us and the world we create.
