Of the one thing that means more to me than anything I have learnt is this concept of unconditional love. It is the idea of treating all that we see with the same respect, consideration and compassion as everything else, and is founded on four core principles.

1. Everything is connected. What happens on the other side of the world affects us where we live.

The planet we live on is just one single planet. A single bit of air could blow through the currents from one side of the Earth and back before it enters into your lungs. The fish you eat may have swum through any number of the world’s oceans. The water you drink may have risen into the clouds from any number of the world’s rivers before falling into the body of water which was used to provide you with the bottle you hold.

Take as an example any major disaster that has occurred throughout history. Each of these disasters have had long-term ramifications across the entirety of the planet; ecologically, socially and politically. Every individual action each individual person takes impacts on every other individual person on the planet. This message itself could be viewed by anyone who has the capability to do so, east to west.

From this, it’s important to understand that we ourselves come from this interconnectedness. That our views and thoughts are biased on our experiences, and our experiences biased on the world we live in. We ourselves are mere imprints of the society we grew up within.

“Yes, all is indeed linked to everything else.” ~ Gro Brundtland

2. Life is unique and cannot be replaced. Every human person is completely unique, in the way they are shaped, in who they are.

Every human being is born naked, unaware, and unprepared, and all seek survival, compassion, and deep connections with others. Whether we reach that potential is up to our environment, it’s up to how we are taught, it’s up to our own experiences. And this path we take is unique; no one else has this path, no one else has our experiences, they are what makes us who we are.

When you understand this, you can see that every action someone takes has depth. There is reason behind it. And before you judge someone on their actions, you should seek out their reasoning for such action. Before you judge someone on who they are, or what they represent, or place them into some giant labelled bucket, understand that each person is completely different in a myriad of ways.

Equally, should any one person’s time here come to an end, the knowledge and perspective that person has will be lost forever, for no-one can replace it through repetition. As such, we must respect all life enough to fight evil by challenging ideals rather than individuals.

“Life isn’t black and white. It’s a million shades of grey.” ~ Beth McHugh

3. Change is always possible. Even in you; everyone has the capacity to change should they have the desire for it.

It is said that the one constant in the universe is change itself. Take any other constant and move infinitely in any direction through time and you will see that constant shattered at one time or another. Time itself is always changing, always pushing forward, one second completely independent from the next. The Earth is constantly in flux, even mountains wearing away over a millenia or more.

As we know, each person is formed from their experiences, and can change through new ones. Deep changes come from deep experiences, and often from personal need or a shift in established world views. The darkest of people can become the greatest of heroes, and the greatest of people can fall into the depths.

We should focus all our efforts in ensuring that we focus on changing the environment that people live and strive in to allow experiences and social impacts to bring about the world view we wish to see. And that change starts with you.

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change.” ~ Gandhi

4. Peace is everything, or nothing. Either there is peace across the world, or there is not.

Until we all see the Earth as our home, and the human race as our family, we cannot live in a world where we are truly safe. We are one planet. And if there is not peace in any part of that planet, there cannot be peace where we are either. We see this time and time and time again, that the wars and the strife have long lasting implications and deep consequences far beyond where they originate.

The Earth, as connected as it is, as unique as it is, as ever changing as it is, is one single organism, and an organism at war with itself is doomed. Every strike that we make against ourselves damages our social psyche, damages the world we live in, and moves us further away from true world peace.

Until there is peace in all corners of the world, we all suffer from the lack of it; from the bombardment of hate, persecution and suffering that inhabits our world. To find peace in the world, we must find peace with ourselves, and truly take on the path of unconditional love. As we each do, we become ambassadors of love itself, and we light a candle that helps fill the dark. Together, we can save our doomed planet.

“Either we all live in a decent world, or nobody does.” ~ George Orwell

Let me tell you something. I may be naive, I may be overlooking the ‘greedy nature’ of humanity, I may be ignoring those who seek ambition over anything else, I may not be looking at the more complex picture before me. But, every decision I make, every view I hold dear, every group I put my support behind, comes from my morals, my principles, my belief in unconditional love, that of respecting every human being, every animal, every plant that resides on this spaceship we call Earth. That every man, woman and child should afford equal opportunities and experiences. That the only way we can bring together a peaceful society built upon trust and compassion for everyone is by starting with that as the very core of your basis of thought. And if no-one is willing to do that, then the kind of accepting, open, friendly, worldwide society we want will not happen and our world will continue down the dark path into self destruction it seems to be going.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr