Today's meditation: love
Mar. 24th, 2010 10:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pjthompsonLove is the most heroic choice of all in light of what the world can do to you. Cynicism is the easy way out. If you want a challenge of epic proportions, try practicing unconditional love. Unconditional love doesn't mean accepting bad behavior and doing nothing, it means acceptance despite the bad and enough love to try changing the bad without judging or returning hate.
I wish I could tell you that I practiced love all the time, but I don't. I still have so many dark places inside me, those patches of non-forgiveness, that deep cynical well of betrayed hope, the unappeased anger, the palpitating presence of the imperfect past. The most I can muster is an intermittent flare of love, a moment here and there of something beyond myself and my grievances. I succumb to the dark far more often than I succumb to love.
I keep trying. I have so very far to go, but the fight is worth it. I am not a hero, probably never will be, but the fight is worth it: love in the face of hate, non-judgment in the face of judgment. If I could find a little more of it in myself, it might start radiating outward. If we could all find a little more of it in ourselves, we could truly change the world.
I imagine I'll be calling someone an idiot again soon, or carping about something, or railing or ranting. It's easy. It comes naturally—and I can resist anything but temptation, as Oscar Wilde once said. My knee jerks up and off I go, forgetting all about those fine meditations and aspirations, hip deep in the hurly burly of a harsh and unforgiving world.
But I sure wish I had enough courage to be a hero of love.
I wish I could tell you that I practiced love all the time, but I don't. I still have so many dark places inside me, those patches of non-forgiveness, that deep cynical well of betrayed hope, the unappeased anger, the palpitating presence of the imperfect past. The most I can muster is an intermittent flare of love, a moment here and there of something beyond myself and my grievances. I succumb to the dark far more often than I succumb to love.
I keep trying. I have so very far to go, but the fight is worth it. I am not a hero, probably never will be, but the fight is worth it: love in the face of hate, non-judgment in the face of judgment. If I could find a little more of it in myself, it might start radiating outward. If we could all find a little more of it in ourselves, we could truly change the world.
I imagine I'll be calling someone an idiot again soon, or carping about something, or railing or ranting. It's easy. It comes naturally—and I can resist anything but temptation, as Oscar Wilde once said. My knee jerks up and off I go, forgetting all about those fine meditations and aspirations, hip deep in the hurly burly of a harsh and unforgiving world.
But I sure wish I had enough courage to be a hero of love.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 06:28 pm (UTC)I've got so far to go...
no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 06:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 06:28 pm (UTC)