It is a beautiful thought: to be collectively bonded to each other in the supreme purpose to love one another in this life. However, as with much of life, such a concept is not as easy as it sounds. What about those whom we consider unlovable–perhaps dishonest individuals, cheats, thieves, or those who disagree with us or talk bad about us? What about our enemies? Would I be able to feel such a bond with individuals who have killed innocent people? And how easy is it for me to not only love others but to also allow them to love me? Could I allow my inner self to be exposed to the masses, or is such a bond too frightening? For many, these questions may not have easy answers, for they may have deep wounds that still need healing. But the truth is that our lives are intricately woven together in so many ways, and the only way in which humanity will ever reach its amazing potential is through embracing and growing the love that we have and give to each other–physically in our actions, emotionally in our hearts, intellectually in our words, and spiritually in our prayers.
In our search for purpose and meaning in our lives, perhaps it is as simple as Betty tells us here–being aware of the common bonds of humanity we each share. After all, we all go through life in the same fashion–as children who grow older year after year; and we all have similar experiences–difficulties and accomplishments, sorrows and joys, feelings and emotions. Thus, we all have a lot to learn and to share with each other. And if this is truly our purpose in life–our purpose for being here on this planet–then we certainly are not doing that good a job of it. Of course, we are not entirely at fault, for most of us were never taught that the main purpose in life is to love others, or how to go about fulfilling such a purpose. In addition, in the pursuit of power, wealth, and fame, societies and cultures often tend to push us towards more selfish goals in life as they pursue our attention, our time, and our money. Yet this is the very thing that lifts us up to our highest potential, this is what fulfills us both as human and spiritual beings.
That is why being a contributing part of the tapestry of humanity is such an important aspect of our lives–our separateness is merely an illusion that robs us of all the beauty and richness that others might add into our lives, and we into theirs, and it prevents us from discovering the necessary pieces to our puzzle–that we can only receive from others–so that we might become complete and whole. And though it might be easy for us to love our siblings and our close family, for we generally grew up together, how can we come to show that same love to those who do not normally fit our bill of love–perhaps our neighbors, our coworkers, those in nursing homes and hospitals, or those in prison and other confined places? We may not feel the same connection with the food carrier riding a bicycle around in New Delhi as we do with our spouses, our children, our siblings, and our parents, and yet, that food carrier in New Delhi, or that person sleeping in a cardboard box, or that person living in a nursing home, or that person living right across the street from us, has been living on this very same planet all their lives, and they have been affected by many of the same things as we have–perhaps even affected by us. And we do not need to know the source of that connection to love those individuals, because chances are, they are in our lives for a reason.
We were created to be big… not small. And the best way in which we can do so is to make giving and receiving love the highest priority in our lives. It does not take much. But it is a choice that must be made each day of our lives. And it does not have to be all of the time; in fact, it will not be all the time. However, it should be as often as we are able; for each time we seek to love and be loved, we add to the total sum of love in the world.
Today’s Challenge: Spend some time getting to know someone whom you do not know all that well.
Anandamayee 