To say that love is merely a feeling is to seriously underestimate its character and use. If we are to conquer ourselves we must understand love at its deepest levels.
To describe love and its course in five to seven paragraphs is impossible. Let us accept that it is the most powerful force in the universe, and that it is indeed the force that keeps the universe moving in a forward direction. Gandhi talked about satyagraha, or soul force; this is a deep understanding, yet what provides the energy to animate the soul? What is the name of the energy? It is love.
Love is the energy that encompasses all that is positive and forward-moving. It desires the well-being of everything in existence. It is not particular to one type of people or nation; it applies to all and everything.
It seems that humans are born with the capacity to love. Some are raised being guided to cultivate and trust the loving force. Others are subjected to selfishness mislabeled as love, and even abused in the name of love. The culture one is raised in also provides either accurate or inaccurate ideas of loving. Yet though one learns to turn from love, or is never taught to see it, it exists nonetheless. If one desires to find it, it can be found.
How does one cultivate love, especially if it has been insufficiently taught? It must grow within the individual before it can be turned toward others; how can I give what I don’t have? Ask yourself this: am I able to love? Very few people would be able to answer no. Then ask: am I willing to love? There are many impediments to practicing love, but none are as strong or reasonable as love.
Perhaps this would be a good start: do no harm, to the self, to others, to all in existence. It is a simple idea, as simple as the Golden Rule, that if it were implemented would result in vast changes. Any person or society can do it. An innate part of us recognizes what harm is. We can learn to not feed it. Ask yourself whether decisions and actions move you toward loving, toward what we want collectively, or whether they move you away from it. If a decision moves you away from loving but you act on it anyway you are cultivating conflict within yourself, and stepping away from your own well-being and that of all you affect with your action.
Acting from love is hard until it becomes habit. There are many backward steps to make up for, and fears borne of inexperience will advise you against love. People and society around you may not be loving; why should you be when they aren’t? Well, you get to live with your choices. Even if those around me aren’t loving I can live without the conflict and backward steps, and may even pull some around me into loving when they were indecisive.
This, then, is the basis of the next revolution, that which underlies it as the guiding principle.
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2 comments:
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Toner, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://toner-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.
Interesting, is it not, that on my deeply sincere blog about changing humankind for the better someone from Brasil tries to use it to sell toner? I hope the person can replicate love as well.
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