Love is talked about so much, but so little understood.
After thousands of years of teachings, and billions of followers of the world’s religions, the majority of us as still seem to be caught up in bickering, judging, belittling, stomping, fearing, and ignoring each other…let alone attacking and slaughtering one another.
It’s not like the message of “love your neighbor” or “love your enemy” hasn’t been taught ad nauseum..but we’re due for a clarification.
We’re so used to love defined as a feeling of warmth, bliss, or joy…or often we use love to describe simply wishing others the best. These definitions I agree with..but are simply incomplete in my opinion.
The linchpin definition in defining love, I feel, is respect — respect for oneself and respect for every voice we hear. That’s what we are cultivating with love.
In fact, I believe that is the purpose of spiritual and religious practice. It isn’t to be more alive, free, radiant, present, empowered, clear, transcendent or embodied. These are surely possible side-effects, but the point of spiritual practice is ultimately to simply respect ourselves, and to respect each other, to our highest capacity.
Here are some definitions of love below:
- Own your configuration and process, in the face of judgment, criticism, and misunderstanding.
- Hear each other’s aspirations, goals, hopes, dreams, and achievements.
- Understand the path that each one of us are on…and learn from paths that are different.
- See another, not stopping at their limitations, but their ultimate potential, visible through the cracks…potential they might not be able to recognize themselves.
- Honor every single feeling and thought we have, discounting no human experience.
- Listen to another person, while they are speaking AND while we are speaking.
- See into the heart in our enemies, and the higher level motivation that guides them.
- Realize the similarities between our enemies and us, realizing we have the same spirit within us.
- Learn from what others are offering us…what gift are they giving us..as each one of us has a gift for each other.
- Appreciate the impact that another’s energy has in informing us, guiding us, and opening our heart to greater compassion, and greater wisdom, even if it annoys us, irritates us, or disrupts us.
If you have more, please do share.