What is Instinctive Love?
Instinct love is the most basic stage of love. It is the kind of love a mother has for her unborn child. This kind of love also occurs for siblings , even before they get to know their new baby brother or sister.
An older child who welcomes their new baby brother or sister for example. The love is often deeply profound. The older sibling often wants to protect, hold, and comfort their new found love.
This doesn’t always happen. Some of these children would love nothing more than to send this new baby to where it came from. But, it has been my experience that these new babies are instinctively loved at first sight and first contact. It is such a beautiful thing to behold.
There is no Reasoning in Instinctive Love
Charles Darwin once said, “The very essence of instinct is that it’s followed independently of reason”.
I love this quote and I believe it to be true. It is the closest definition to what I want to express in this post. I have loved my unborn children as though I had already met them. But, I had not. There was no way, no idea of who these little people would be once they emerged from the womb. And I didn’t care. Didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl, homely or beautiful. My heart would not have known the difference anyway.
I loved these little ones more than I loved the people I had known all my life. There was no reasoning behind the love I felt for my babies, it came naturally. It came strongly and without borders, it was love at first sight.
Instinctive love is like an instinct to breathe, to eat, to drink water, and to survive. It is as I said “deep and profound”, and difficult to describe. It just is.
Animal Instinct
Instinctive Love and the Three Hens
I have been paying close attention as to how animals behave around one another and around people.
It is magical to see how dedicated they are towards their babies, to one another, and to the people who care for them.
I have access to a farm nearby, therefore, I love to see the new babies that arrive. In this case, baby goats.
I have a tendency to allow the little ones to come to me. And allow them to decide for themselves if they want me around them or not. Some come to me, others stay away. And their mama’s watch their every movement. If one gets only a short distance away from mama, she is on them in an instant. If someone comes into the area, she may herd he babies away from these strangers.
There is no logical thinking involved, she just knows what she has to do to protect her little ones. She keeps them close and protects them, and has no qualms about fighting for them. This is instinctive love.
Instinctive Love and the Three Hens
There are these three hens that hang out all the time. I call them the three amigos. They stick together like glue. If one gets separated from the group, you would think someone was dying out in the yard. The squawking and yelling is unbelievable. However, as soon as the other comes running to be with her gang, everything quiets down and peace reigns again.
It appears to me that are celebrating the other’s return. After they celebrate for a few moments, they get back to hanging out and eating to their hearts content. Their beloved friend has returned and all is well.
They love one another instinctively, and would, for a time, be lost without their friend, if one of them died. this is their way of caring and keeping one another safe. I love it.