Do people tell you "Go love one another". Do people tell you "Have faith!". And do people tell you "Do this, do that". And you think "Why the hell should I force myself to?". I agree, you should not.

We must not force love onto ourselves. You know what I'm talking about: "I have to love my neighbour. That's how it is. And I do... I think I really do". This is meaningless. Do we try to convince ourselves of the other person's worth? Do we try to brainwash ourselves into loving someone? Do we think that love comes from discipline? Do we just think that certain people deserve to be loved? Or do we feel obligated to love? Not only are these roads to loving someone unsustainable, they are insincere. They are unsustainable because they all wither in the face of difficulty. "I want to be John's friends, but he's just so annoying". I would say, don't be John's friend. These reasons are insincere because, let's face it, you don't really love them. If you love someone, love them because you want to take care of them. Love them because you want to protect them. You love them because you share their happiness and pain. Only this is love, and this can not be forced. If you don't love them, don't pretend to. Focus your love on the sincere ones. Everything else is meaningless.

We must not force faith. This also is meaningless. Do we try to rationalize why we believe? Do we overanalyze it ("Jesus/Buddha's life after death was real because the disciples saw him after he died, and they have no reason to lie")? Do we repeat it over and over hoping to fool others (God, perhaps!)? I would say, don't pretend to have faith. This is unsustainable. It is insincere. It will wither in the face of oppression and wither in the face of rational human arguments. If you do have faith, have faith because you love the person you have faith in. Or have faith because the person has earned it and you can't believe otherwise. Or have faith because you "just know for certain" - that is sincere. Everything else is meaningless.

We must not force our 'good' deeds. Are you helping someone out of duty, out of obligation, out of scoring points in the afterlife? This is meaningless. Just to please God? Just to please our parents? our teachers? Not only is this unsustainable, this is insincere. When faced with a hard decision, you will justify your inaction ("I know I should help Jane, but I can't help her right now."). I would say, don't help Jane. Focus your good deeds on the sincere ones. If you love the person, your good deeds make you feel good. Because their pain, their happiness has become yours. If you do any good deeds, do it because you love the person and because you are compassionate. Deeds might also happen through unshakable love and faith in your God (e.g. Abraham's sacrifice of his son - Genesis 22:1-19). But do you have this? If you do love God that much that you'll do anything, this is one of the ultimate expressions of love. If not, you must rely on love of your neighbour. Don't pretend to love God if you don't. From your love, deeds are expressed and not vice versa.

From love, come faith. From love, comes deeds. Love is the sincere and sustainable reason. And we love someone when their pain is ours, and their happiness is ours. I would say to focus your energy on the sincere things. Everything else is meaningless.