My article, that appeared in Whole Life Times, about the Love Button Global movement and Interview with Dr Sadeghi:

Believe in Love: What is the Love Button Global Movement?

By Serena Wright Taylor

This spectacular photo is from the culmination of the half time show of Super Bowl 50 in February 2016 where the audience are excitedly lifting colourful cards spelling ‘Believe in Love’. The show launched with a blast of positive energy and message of unity as Coldplay took the stage along with the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) conducted by maestro Gustavo Dudamel, and then joined by Beyoncé and Bruno Mars. Coldplay frontman Chris Martin had arranged to have 75,000 Love Buttons given to the whole audience. Millions of people watching from all over the world were reminded that Love unites us, all the beautiful colours and cultures of the planet!

Such a reception was never imagined by the creator of the Love Button, Dr. Habib Sadeghi, who, along with his wife Dr. Sherry Sami, founded the non-profit organization in 2013. Dr Sadeghi and Dr Sami are the founders of the Be Hive of Healing Integrative Medical and Dental Centre in Agoura Hills, CA and the International College of Spiritual Nutrition

I asked Dr. Sadeghi if he would kindly answer some questions about the Love Button Global Movement especially for Whole Life Times readers.

Serena:  When you created your first Love Button, did you have any idea that such a movement would grow and reach so many people?

Dr Sadeghi:  Not at all. You see twenty years ago, I was diagnosed with cancer and faced some very difficult decisions about my future. Overwhelmed with the stress of it all, I took a year off from medical school to investigate alternative healing modalities and re-evaluate my priorities. My friend and lab partner, Gary, gave me advice that changed my life, he said “Habib, I don’t know about the God that you believe in, but the God I believe in is a loving God. He who hasn’t loved yet hasn’t known God, for God is love”. This left me with a sense of peace and knowing that whatever happened would be for the highest good. One week later, before being wheeled into the operating room, I wrote the word ‘Love’ on the palm of my hand as a reminder that the greatest healing power was always with me.

After graduating I was filled with gratitude for the power of love. I wrote the word Love in red ink and made it into a button that I wore on my lab coat as a reminder to share that love. As my button drew attention from more people I made other buttons to give away. Over time, as we saw how people continued to respond to the Love Buttons, my wife Sherry and I saw the potential to spread love as a healing energy on a global scale and created the non-profit organization the ‘Love Button Global Movement’. That’s how the first Love Button came to be, and the growth of the movement in just a few short years has been an unexpected blessing for both of us.

Serena: What are the most important aspects of the Love Button Movement that you would like to share with WLT readers?

Dr. Sadeghi: The most important aspect is to have our human family consider the power of their own love to cultivate a deeper change in the world and inspire them to reach out to others with it every day.  Love isn’t just an ethereal notion; it’s real energy that can be measured as we transfer it from one person to another.  The HeartMath Institute has done some incredible work in this respect.  In fact, we know that the electromagnetic field of the heart is 5,000 times stronger than that of the brain.  When we reach out to others with that kind of energy, think of the impact we can have on human relationships and how we all function together on this planet.

So, the heart of our grass root humble mission is to put more love into the world.  We believe that a shortage of love is what’s at the center of the world’s biggest problems and not a lack of money, food, energy or anything else.  When we reach out in love to someone else, we instantly understand our inter-connectedness with each other and that we all have the same needs.  That’s the power of love, and when we feel it, we naturally give more freely of any of the resources we possess, even if it’s just a hug and a smile.  Sharing our love fills us with a sense of compassionate camaraderie, and that’s the bond that keeps society functioning in a cohesive way. So, we want people to understand the power of their love and to inspire them to give it to friends, family, and even strangers in ways big and small every day in service of healing the world.  As they say, think globally but act locally.

Serena: Love is needed more than ever in the world today, what can we each do individually and together to spread love most effectively right now?

Dr. Sadeghi: The biggest thing each one of us can do is to not let fear stand in the way of sharing our love.  Every day we’re all making the choice between love and fear and whether to step into our loving or not.  Do I complement the cashier at the grocery store on how nice she looks today, or am I afraid of the way I’ll be perceived?  Do I offer to help a friend move house or do I not because they weren’t available the last time I needed help?  Do I help a single mother carry her bags and stroller off the airplane or do I rush by her because I’m afraid doing so will make me late?  Do I smile and say Thank You for the service that’s provided to me or not because I just expect it?

Every day we have many opportunities to share our love and make a connection, but we choose not to because we’re either afraid or too self-involved.  The point is to remain conscious of these opportunities by focusing on how we can be of service.  We can also create these moments instead of waiting for them to happen, such as surprising a co-worker by buying his lunch or holding the elevator for someone. When we share our love with others in this way, it elevates their energy and they carry it with them, making them more apt to do something loving for someone else.  The Love Buttons we give to people are their reminders to pay forward the loving kindness they received. That’s how we strengthen the chain of interconnectedness between us.

Serena: What is your vision for the future of the Love Button Global Movement?

 Dr Sadeghi: The goal is to continue expanding our grassroots effort of encouraging people to share their love right where they’re at, while at the same time instituting other outreach efforts targeted at specific segments of the population.  At the moment, we’re very excited about our Dandelion Initiative.  Crews of volunteers across the country will be visiting major ports of travel in their cities, greeting departing travelers and presenting them with a Love Button and a note, asking them to share love with someone along the way or at their destination.  In this way, every Love Button we send out on a plane, bus, boat or train has the potential to generate love in the farthest corners of the earth.  Like the white puff ball of a dandelion whose seeds, carried on the wind, take root in places far from the source, we’re sending our intention across land, sky and sea to take root in the hearts of people everywhere.

Serena: Thank you Dr Sadeghi

You can learn more at www.lovebutton.org where you can order love buttons, see the humanitarian organisations they help and #PauseandLove where you can share your own love button photos and stories.

Serena Wright Taylor is an Associate Producer with Conscious Life Expo, an Intuitive Vedic Astrologer, a researcher and practitioner of ancient wisdom studies, a volunteer for refugees with the Tiyya Foundation and an advocate with the Love Button Global Movement.