Love is not a duty you owe anyone
You were taught, probably without anyone saying it aloud, that love is something you perform. You cook when you are tired. You smile at the in-laws when you are hollow. You stay when leaving would be the more honest thing. Osho called this duty dressed in the costume of love, and he was brutal about the distinction. Real love, he said, comes from fullness, not obligation. When you give from an empty place, you are not being selfless. You are being dishonest, and the person receiving it can feel the difference, even if neither of you names it. The hardest thing about this insight is that it does not let you be a martyr. It asks you to check whether what you are calling love is actually fear of what happens if you stop.
