Love and Like Among Siblings


Is it possible to love someone and not like them?

I encountered this problem early in life when one of my siblings was constantly getting on my nerves. I was very sensitive and he was relentless in his teasing.

My cousin on the other hand was the type that cared, the one who was nice to me and cared enough to say sorry when his words hurt and treated me like a princess.

Yes, I was spoilt yes but that is not the bone of contention.

I realised that i did not like my brother anymore. I liked my cousin. I was always happy to see him. He would even help loose my braids, something my brother considered as yucky and unmanly.

So I was in a dilemma, how could I not like my brother? That surely means that I am cold hearted. Then my sister asked me 'But do you love him?'

Hmmmm!!!

I thought long about it and my answer came one day,  when my brother needed money and all I had was my savings I had been zealously building up for something important I cannot recall anymore.

What did i do? 

I gave it to him, knowing he would never pay back because he is not the type to pay back loans.

I realised that I did love my brother, even more than I loved my cousin. I just did not like him at the time. We were not compatible, not the closest of friends because we were too different but it did not mean that I was cold hearted.

Ha, I could now breathe easily. The thought of being cold hearted, of not loving my brother had bothered me deeply.

It opened up a whole new world for me. I began to realise that I may not get along with everybody I come across, I may not like them but it does not make me a bad person.

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