Above all else, the need for honesty in any relationship is paramount.

Without honesty, the relationship is doomed either to fail or to reach a point and then stagnate.

And it isn’t easy to be totally honest with anyone.

We don’t like to let others know that we have fears, that we lack confidence in certain areas, that we haven’t always done the right thing by others in life.

There could be a million reasons why we would hold back the whole truth from our loved ones.

But this is inherently a selfish act and is born out of self-preservation – or preservation of the image of the self that we wish others to perceive.

Unconditional love requires us to set aside our own wishes and desires and to consciously consider the needs of the other (partner, spouse, friend).

When we speak of honesty, we include being truthful about our feelings.

“Leave nothing left unsaid” should be the motto for anyone embarking on, or engaged in, a relationship with another human.

If you have strong feelings for someone, you need to tell them and then step back and allow them to digest and assimilate the information and make their own minds up.

We do not mean that we bombard the other with protestation of undying love, badgering them into submission until finally we win our prize.

That is ‘conditional’ love. You love someone on condition that they love you back.

Unconditional love is more spiritual. It springs from the divine and is an expression of true understanding of the needs of the other.