4. What IS LOVE ?

## What IS LOVE ?

INTRODUCTION:

Whenever we look at something, the first thing we do is to calculate what we can get from it. It can be a person or an object, that doesn't matter. Our thoughts start functioning either through fear or through greed to calculate what there is in the situation for us. Our attention is centered on that object or person.

It is possible to turn our attention towards our own inner space and ask, 'What can I contribute?' , 'What can I add?' , 'How can I enrich others?' If the process is only to ask, 'What can I get out of it?' then it is driven by lust. If the process asks, 'How can I enrich it?' it is driven by love! Lust is an energy that demands. Love is an energy that gives.

Love is an intense experience in one's inner space. Many of us think love is a choice. We think experience and expression of love are a choice. We think that if we want to, we can handle love; otherwise we can let it go. No! It is not a choice as we think. It is a basic necessity of life. It is notjust breathing and staying alive. Being alive at the innermost being level, as a live Consciousness. If you can express love, if you can experience love, that is the only

way of being alive as a Consciousness. If you don't experience and express love, you may inhale and exhale, but you can't say you are a live being. There are so many animals, plants and other things that breathe day in and day out. You will continue to exist like them.

Goals:

Bring an understanding to the child, of the feeling of love, sharing love and participation. Overflowing Love and Participation.

Assessment:

1. What is love?
1. What makes you happy "the most"?
1. Who is the person you love most? Why?
1. Where do we experience love?
1. Can we create love?
1. Can we make a flower bloom?
1. What happens when we share love with others?
1. How do you feel when somebody smiles at you?
1. How will you feel when you look at a baby smiling?
1. What is inner space?
1. Which is the only thing which increases as we give it to others?
1. What is participation? When do we need to participate?
1. Why do we need to participate?
1. Can we do activities without participating?
1. Can we participate and not focus at the same time?

Conclusion:

Conclude the topic by reiterating the important details. Love is a language that all the living things understand.

Art of the day - Celebration Drawing

Materials Needed:

1. Paper
1. Pencil or Sketch Pen

Procedure: 1. Discuss happiness with the children, how celebration gives us happiness.

How we enjoy ourselves with our loved ones during the festival times.
Encourage each child to draw the picture of any celebration.
They can draw by viewing a few pictures of celebration.
They can also visualize and draw some celebration pictures.
Encourage children to look at their drawings and talk about how happy they are feeling

Activity 1 - I, Me, My Game

To make children understand the importance of being in the now, about the ego, about the importance of participating

Preparation:

Make the children sit in a circle, encourage them to play the game.

Presentation: Children will sit in a circle and mentors will encourage them to talk by asking interesting questions about the children? The only one rule of the game is that the children must not use I, my, me while answering any questions. If they use these words they will be out of the game. Each child is allowed to share their experiences in turns. It is very difficult to express our views without using I, my and me. So encourage the children's effort to play this game. They can play this game only when they focus and participate in every moment.

Interpretation:

To make the children understand how effective participation and focusing is, and so they can understand by practice that they can get rid of ego enhancing words like I, me, my. Instead of I, me, my they can use their names.

Activity 2 - Cups of Overflowing Love

Material required: Disposable cups (1 per child) Permanent marker Water (food colouring powder if required)

Preparation: Get all the materials together and have the children gather in a circle after discussion time.

Discussion: Give an illustration on how we can be filled with love and overflow onto others. First take a cup and demonstrate how the cup represents a person, and the water is love. Add other cups on top of the first cup and when the water of love is poured on the first cup, it spills over to the others as it starts overflowing! Each child can use the permanent marker to write their name on a cup and take turns to realize the concept of sharing love by being filled-up, and then letting it overflow while sharing it with their friends