Have an open mind. To love anything in general you need to accept the fact that they are not perfect - nothing is. You cannot expect the world to be in black and white. People have always been far from perfect and will continue to be so, they usually take a lot of time and effort to learn things. So whether it be a friend, family member, loved one or any person in general there should be a certain amount of leeway given to them for making errors. Be forgiving instead of accusing and try to believe at least for the first time that any harm done was not intentionally caused. Be accommodating and kind. Sometimes all some people need is a second chance and they might surprise you with it.
Observe. The news is always full of stories that discourage your faith in humanity - the murders, rapes, wars and famines. So we see the dark side of humanity highlighted and sometimes in that spectacle we forget that another side exists and sometimes it exists right under our noses and we fail to see it. We have become so accustomed to seeing the ugly side fo things that we have forgotten to appreciate the beauty. So the next time you are talking to the to someone you know works three jobs try to see the emotion behind his unrelenting hardwork just so that his children can have an opportunity at a good education and have everything he probably didn't get a chance at. Maybe notice the homeless guy by the bus stop who takes out of his limited food to share with a stray dog. There is always things like this around if you only look closely enough.
Befriend different people. Conversations with people completely different than you can change your view on things. We all settle down into life and have a fixed set of friends and family but sometimes we need to open up to the bigger world around us. Understand how others live and understand their points of view without judgment. Do not accept the scale by which the world labels people. It will help you grow and you might find a friend in a person you could never have thought to give a second glance to. If you want to be more open-minded, seek out people and experiences that are different or new. For example, you can travel to another country to learn. Be curious and excited to see and learn new things. Try to remain neutral instead of judging. Gather information and seek to understand why a particular culture or group of people do things in a certain way.
Stop Being judgmental. 'If you judge people you will not have time to love them' it is as simple as that. People make choices in their lives that you might not understand or comprehend completely or even disagree with but if their choices do not harm anybody they are entitled to it. It is not necessary that you need to agree with everything a person does in order to have any sort of relation with them. You have the right to your opinions and the other person to their own. Do not define people only by their choices that you do not agree with.
See Art. Every artist in some way is creating something from the essence of his own soul and if that does not trigger a sense of hope i don't know what will. Novels provide an intimate insight into the mind of the author and a lot of times a journey into someone else's imagination is all it takes to revive your hope again. Never underestimate the power of reading a good book when you are feeling down. Books are a reminder that people can work magic. Dance is another form of art that has the capability of telling a story beautifully. Attend a dance show and see the passion in the performers eyes when they take the stage to fulfill their part. There is a sort of reverence in every good performers eyes that you can always make out. Listen to good music. It is something that requires no effort and is an instant feel good. Music has always been considered to have healing powers. It always helps. Last but not the least try to practice art however badly. You will bleed your soul out into it and you will feel better about the world. You will have created something. You will have understood that humans can work miracles.
Volunteer. If you are not happy with the way things are going you should be the one who should stand up and change it. Volunteer at NGO's, become an activist for a cause that you believe in. Some or the other time your efforts are bound to pay off even if in just a small way. There might be no other nudge you need than just the satisfaction of having done something for humanity. Once you learn to work for the change you want to see instead of complaining about it and getting depressed you will not lose hope again.
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