Every marketing team is managing a multibillion dollar demand: to make us part ways with our almighty dollars.
The command can be traced up the corporate ladder to the CEO, who is ultimately seeking to please their shareholders. Everyone wants the dollar and yet everyone is trying to take them from everyone else.
We part with our dollars in exchange for conditional marketed love.
Gifting a ring as a representation of love.
Ordering a swimsuit to love our physical appearance.
Buying a new car to make other people respect us.
Intentional purchases can serve as valuable tools, but they will not solve problems with our significant other, self-esteem, or our relationships with the people around us. They were never designed to do any of these things, no matter how many marketing slogans tell you otherwise.
Real love doesn’t require belongings, but it can help us belong to a supportive community. As author Miguel Ruiz wrote, “Real love is accepting other people the way they are without trying to change them.”
It’s tempting to try to shove our unsolicited advice in the name of love, but the act of fixing is a signal something is broken. We can support others in their endeavors and help them see their truth on their terms, in their time.
We can continue to shell out our dollars and feed the conditional marketed love system. Or we can put down the wallets, let go of our judgments, and accept people for who they are.
After all, real love doesn’t cost a thing.
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