Only as yourself

Kierkegaard's explanation of "love thy neighbor" was intriguing and mind-boggling at the same time. It's mind-boggling because I'm not quite sure I fully understand it. As far as my understanding goes, I agree with what he is presenting, not that he needs me to agree with him. I don't think he will haunt me if I don't. What intrigued me was, that he says that we are not to love our neighbors more than ourselves. Yet how many of us follow that supposed misconception and are taught that from birth? We are taught to treat others better than ourselves to the point that, some children become adult "door mats" who then have issues with self-confidence and self-image. Would this still happen if they were taught to love others only as they love themselves? Johnny has a toy. Jim wants the toy. Johnny could give it to Jim because he is forced to, under the law of loving him better than himself. Or Johnny could give it to Jim because if he were Jim that's how he would want himself to act. In the first instance, Johnny grows up giving in begrudgingly. In the second instance, he grows up treating others as himself. I hope that makes sense. According to Kierkegaard, "[t]here is only one whom a person can with the truth of eternity love more than himself - that is God." Earlier he also states that to love a person more than God is blasphemy. That is a pretty strong statement, but a very true one as well. And it also backs up his previous argument about loving only as yourself. Therefore one is to love God more than oneself, this is the highest love one can offer God. Subsequently, loving others as yourself is the highest love one can offer to others.