Use “Puppy Love” To See Humanity Through Different Eyes

A method much less ridiculous and much more transformative than it sounds

I know, this looks like the weirdest spam you’ve seen today.

But bear with me, because behind this quirky title lies a topic that urgently demands our attention in these tumultuous times. Open your mind for just a few minutes and learn something that may shape your entire future.

Recently, through a chance encounter at a party, I was introduced to an incredibly beautiful social movement. An international organization of people passionate about revolutionizing the way we interact with each other on a daily basis. People who invent methods and event formats to bring back physical contact and social warmth into our lives.

We modern humans have, quite literally, lost touch.

We are experiencing an epidemic of loneliness and meaninglessness, increasing stress, declining health, rampant depression and suicides.

Everywhere you look, you see how people — out of helplessness and to fill their inner emptiness — consume things that they don’t actually need. You see how they desperately seek fulfilment in things that have never truly fulfilled them — and never will.

What are we actually searching for? What do we truly need?

The social movement that I discovered has an incredibly powerful response to these questions. Participating in it had a transformative impact on my life, setting entirely new standards on how to spend leisure time in a truly valuable, healing, and wholesome way.

For now, let’s not dive too deep. I’m tired, just back from one of their sessions — feeling happy and nourished, yet ready to hit the hay. It is quite late in the night and I have work in the morning.

However, as my last achievement for today, I would love to quickly shed light on one of the movement’s principles — a fascinating rule of interaction they call “Puppy Love”.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be delving deeper into this movement (the name of which I’m still a bit reluctant to reveal) and its profound influence on my life, sharing insights and experiences that I’m eager to unravel. To stay tuned, be sure to subscribe!

Puppy Love?

Yes, you read that right. The principle of the movement that I would like to look at today is called “puppy love”.

That might sound downright ridiculous, but once genuinely embraced, it is a principle that can be incredibly impactful.

To be clear: the movement does not use the term “puppy love” in its conventional meaning. On Wikipedia, for example, it says:

“Puppy love, also known as a crush, is an informal term for feelings of romantic love, often felt during childhood and early adolescence. (…) It is named for its resemblance to the adoring, worshipful affection that may be felt by a puppy.”

While encouraging closeness and touch, the social movement that I discovered is not about sex or dating. All physical contact in their sessions is non-sexual.

Accordingly, their “puppy love” principle is not about romantic affection. Instead, it is about striving to approach other people you meet during their sessions with unconditional love — much like how we approach puppies. (Again: what exactly we do in these “sessions” will be covered in other posts soon — thank you so much for your patience! 🙏)

The “Puppy Love” principle is about approaching other people with unconditional love — much like how we approach puppies

This may sound absurd and childish, even utopian and unrealistic. But those who have genuinely tried it and embraced it, know that it is anything but.

Sure, it would be delusional to expect this to work flawlessly in every moment and with every person. It is not always easy, and not always possible.

But as the proverb goes: aim for the stars to reach the sky!

To be fair, the principle was designed for a specific, somewhat exclusive setting where most individuals typically share interests and values. In this setting, the primary purpose of the “puppy love” principle is to help us overlook minor differences and accept each other’s quirks and imperfections.

Can this method also be applied to strangers in public?

I asked myself this question and found it very intriguing. Experimenting with it yielded astonishing results!

The surprising realization for me was how strongly I can influence my perception of other people.

It is all too easy to view people through skeptical, mocking, and critical eyes — something that unfortunately has become commonplace today. Judgment and condemnation are everywhere in modern societies. Many of us are almost addicted to fixating on other people’s flaws and mistakes.

However, what can be remarkably fruitful and healing is the practice of loving kindness. In simpler terms: consciously choosing a compassionate perspective and engaging in empathy, understanding, and forgiveness. This is a powerful tool, not only to help build a more liveable society and tackle social division, but also to reduce stress and improve our own health and well-being.

Enter the puppy love method, taking this approach to the next level. Just as we sometimes need exaggerated caricatures to truly grasp political issues, the puppy love lens gives us such an intense focus on loving kindness that it helps us — even if just briefly — to recognize the huge untapped potential that lies in letting go of our judgments.

To practice the method, just try to look at the people around you — whether close friends or strangers in public — with the same unconditional love and compassion you have for puppies. Sounds too ridiculous? Trust me, just try it out and experience it for yourself.

The puppy love method holds tremendous potential and costs practically nothing, aside from a bit of concentration, which is probably a healthy challenge in itself.

The Big Picture

In times of escalating hatred and rapid societal division, it’s crucial that we learn to look beyond our differences and reconnect. Viewing others with hatred or dehumanizing them will never bridge the gap. We won’t truly see them, understand their motivations, or genuinely touch their hearts with our words.

We must be brave enough to cultivate empathy, kindness, and understanding towards the people who do not share our preferences or views. Not out of altruism, but because it is essential for our collective survival. To put it in the words of Marianne Williamson:

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world.”

As humans, we are all driven by hopes and fears, and we all make mistakes. But most of us, deep down, are pretty decent. Many dangerous viewpoints and harmful behaviors simply arise because people haven’t had the privilege of learning certain things and gaining new perspectives, not from malicious intent. If you want to reach these people and introduce them to alternative viewpoints, an attitude of hostility and condemnation will not take you far.

I’m not advocating for the abandonment of criticism; on the contrary, constructive feedback is vital, and our society thrives on active exchange and debate. However, it’s only effective when our points and critiques truly reach the intended person. Otherwise, they’re utterly worthless, akin to speaking against a wall. Misbehavior and disdainful judgment often spiral into a terrible cycle when love is completely replaced by a condemning gaze. It’s time to break free from this cycle and foster connection amidst diversity.

The puppy love method is just one of countless tools that we can use. But quite an impactful one, from my experience! I hope I got you curious enough to try it out for yourself.

If you have any questions, please tell me in the comments!

— I write for peace and compassion. If you like my work, help me bring more of this into the world. Share this article with your friends and consider becoming a Patreon: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/pala_najana

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