In Touch With Things as They Are

We know that having a crush on someone is not the same as really loving that person. First we create an image, and then we fall in love with that image. The object of our love is not the thing in itself. It’s merely a mental construct, a representation of reality, but not reality itself. This is true whether we are looking at a mountain, at a star, or at other people. Usually, we are just dealing with representations and living in the realm of illusion. But we have the capacity to touch reality itself. This takes some training, because many of us have lost this capacity. The good news is that, with the practice of mindfulness, we can restore our capacity for touching suchness. We have the capacity to see our loved ones as they truly are.

Excerpt From
How to See
Thich Nhat Hanh