There is no more critical and serious problem in our society today than unacknowledged lovelessness. We have our cell phones, our social media accounts, our 24-hour disaster news feeds, and all our chemical comforts (booze, weed, sugar, salt, fat, even A.D.H.D. medications). Don’t even get me started on online shopping! But all of these things, and more, are simply distractions and diversions. They are a means of denying what would truly make us happy and fulfilled: LOVE. Don’t believe me? Then try a little experiment yourself, if you will. Try to go ten days without all the little pleasantries and manageable addictions of life that I just mentioned. Put your phone away in a drawer, if you have to; stick to fruits and vegetables and whole grains on your next trip to Costco; give away your nice bottles of Trader Joe’s wine; and tell your favorite budtender that you will be away in Fiji for the next few weeks, so as not to expect you. And then — breathe. Just live, with the few material comforts you have left. You might find yourself taking walks around your neighborhood, before long. Or, picking up dusty books from your shelves, and wondering why you didn’t come back to that beautiful story sooner. Your digestion will improve; your skin will clear up; and people may comment on how unusually well-rested you look. Don’t get me wrong, though: on the inside, you will be going absolutely crazy. You will sense a void in your soul so great, and so vast, you will feel like you are right up at the edge of it. You will probably think more than you care to about death. But you aren’t crazy. Actually, you are at the razor-sharp point of truth. Because the truth is, you don’t need any of that crap you just left behind. What you need is love. ❤️‍🔥—Y.B.D.