WYSIWYG

What You See Is What You Get. This is a journal blog, an explore-blog, a bit of this and that blog. Sharing where the mood takes me. Perhaps it will take you too.

MenoSunday; Life Lived Lovingly

It can be easy, sometimes, to cast our eyes over a quote and do one of three things: shrug our shoulders and mutter, 'just another platitude'; glance over it, then re-read maybe once or twice and mutter, 'oh yes that's true/nah, don't get that one'; or we linger long enough over it to give it some worth and to gain from it.

Mostly, in quotes of value, the words do speak for themselves, but there is almost always an invitation to think more deeply and to analyze what it means to ourselves as individuals, not just to others.

'Others' is a key factor in this particular quote.

The essence is that, without a concept of unity within our diversity, without an understanding that every human alive actually wants the same things out of life (albeit from differing persepctives), we end up building barriers, walls, doctrines and rules designed to exclude, rather than include. As soon as we start to exclude we fund fear of invasion. We fear aggression and end up giving it out instead. All too readily, even reading this, minds have gone to the international and world affairs angle.

However, this is equally true in our own little microscopic worlds. As long as we hold onto strong ego, individual identity, with a privilege of 'me and mine', we create the space for fear to enter. It can take the form of shame, loss, angst, bitterness, criticism... endless are the disguises of fear.

Fear is the great energizer for some, immobiliser for others. Fight or flight. It can hold us back from reaching out, or being reached.

Overcoming fear takes Love of the capital variety - and lots of it. The high-level Love which engenders trust and togetherness, a sense of belonging. Once that is achieved, we can begin to see how working and sharing as one with 'the other' - be it a parent, a child, a colleague, a whole community - benefits all... but most of all, our little individual selves.


7 comments:

  1. To me this is the key to love, "but most of all, our little individual selves." We have to learn to love who we are and be happy. If we don't love ourselves why would we expect others to love us.!!!!
    Hugs Cecilia

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  2. So much is build on fear, fear we will never make enough money to be successful then fear that it will all be taken away if we do best to live life with a inner happiness but sadly not many do.
    Merle...........

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  3. Serious words, Yam. There are many who are fearful.

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  4. We must first love ourselves and we've accomplished that we can love others and they will in turn love us.
    I guess the Beatles' song "All you need is love" says it all or perhaps John Lennon's "Imagine" which I often quote.
    Fear certainly lives in our daily lives with the uncertainty of what is happening on the world stage. One can hope for peace but from experience I can't see it happening, more's the pity.

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  5. that's a very good quote and it fots to this time... wish all would read and understand it...

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  6. Yes, as you say, lots to think about there. I'm aware that I can tend to focus too strongly on my sense of individual identity and this is damaging when carried to excess.
    Cheers, Gail.
    This weekend I've been reading Andrea Wulf's 'The Invention of Nature'. A fascinating read - it's about Alexander von Humboldt, scientist and explorer who recognized that 'Nature is a living whole' and that natural history at its deepest level is about inter-connectedness and not just classification, lists and categories. A related theme to your blog today, I suggest!

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  7. There is a wonderful hymn I grew up singing, "Others". When one lives for others, there is not room for fear. janice xx

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