RE: Not so brave....
ORIGINAL: .Xia.
For me, I would rather delve in to the nature of existence, if possible - and so far, I have found that love is not something we evolve in to, but something that we need to see beyond...... Have you considered that love IS a judgement????
X
Oh, very definitely, Xia!
And out of respect for myself, I must judge at every moment what feels good and therefore is supportive of my being (what is loving) and what is not.
As a teen I was reading a book that was somewhat raunchy. My dad looked at it and said, Well, I guess you have to read bad literature to be able to recognize good literature. There is a lot in that statement and it has guided much of my growth. I do have to judge everything everyday in order to determine what I want to include in the orbit of my self.
I have to be able to see beyond what is loving to recognize un-love and to assure that I am protected from harm.
If I want, I can remain on the battlefield and hope that I dont get hit by flying missiles aimed at me or at someone else on either side of the battle, or I can remove myself from the fray and enter the hospital on the edge of the action, in order to help or be helped.
ORIGINAL: .Xia.
- I think *love* can be examined more deeply..... maybe *love* is just a way of explaining something else?
Yeah, thats what we think too. But what IS the something else? And what words do you use to speak of it? How do you describe it in ways that someone else can understand, especially if they have not had the same experiences that you have? Could it be the same the nature of existence you refer to? This is the closest we have come to an answer, but welcome new ideas and new twists on the old ones.
RE: Not so brave....
But there are so many different types of love, how difficult it is to give them all the same meaning or the same power;) Love for a child, love between adults, Gay love, love for animals, love for your parents, love for nature, love of travel, love of food, love of God, sexual love, love of friends, love of study..... all these and so many more.
Defining each seperate way you 'love' something or someone is an automatic human response, you usually don't have to consciously think about WHY you love that person, that baby or that object, or that inanimate object, it is just there and subtly recognised.
Is love a way of explaining 'attachment' to something or someone? Maybe sometimes certainly, but, human love can go very deep. Inexplicable actions of courage are achieved in the name of love for one example.
As are personal sacrifices.
Question - do we all experience 'love' differently?
Love Gxxx
RE: Not so brave....
Is love a way of explaining 'attachment' to something or someone? Maybe sometimes certainly, but, human love can go very deep. Inexplicable actions of courage are achieved in the name of love for one example.
As are personal sacrifices.Question - do we all experience 'love' differently?
Answer: yes, I think we do. 'Love' can become trivialised and shallow, used for selfish reasons of connection and support or even co-dependency. Many people cry "But I love you!" without any real concept of what love truly means or is. (which is what I think Xia is getting at)
Below the surface of selfish love, you may find self-less love, which is what Gillyann explains above; acts of courage and true self sacrifice and also those where someone is released despite the pain caused because it is better for that person in the long term.
And deeper still is compassion, where each and every person/animal/living thing is regarded from the standpoint of the ever-lasting connections between them and accepted as such, without judgement or condemnation or false 'love'.
That's my pov, anyway.
Moonfeather
RE: Not so brave....
ORIGINAL: energyatwork
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Oh, very definitely, Xia!
And out of respect for myself, I must judge at every moment what feels good and therefore is supportive of my being (what is loving) and what is not.
This that you talk about is very different to my approach. For many, *what feels good* can be fantasy...... happy in the fantasy...... I understand that for many this is what they want. It is not what I want. That which is loving is not necessarily supporting my being in the way you say.... it is my belief that no thing has happened in my life for no reason, or without any value to me.... ALL things within my experience of existence have contributed someting, not just love.
When I say that love might be a judgement, I mean something different. maybe it has no truth to it? Maybe it is just a way of feeling ur way around this existence, rather than being some *higher* *force* etc...... I know that many, many people have invested a great deal in to the concept of *love* as a higher force, something to work towards.... for me, I have t let that go - it is not true, in my view. Love is just a part of my human being, no more special than hate, or any emotion..... out of self importance we place huge emphasis on love, for the most selfish reasons - it makes us feel good. For me, I need more than just to feel good.
ORIGINAL: energyatwork
As a teen I was reading a book that was somewhat raunchy. My dad looked at it and said, Well, I guess you have to read bad literature to be able to recognize good literature. There is a lot in that statement and it has guided much of my growth. I do have to judge everything everyday in order to determine what I want to include in the orbit of my self.
That which is in the orbit of yourself is in the orbit - ignoring stuff does not make it go away - I know, I've tried! As for bad and good, deciding that something is bad or good is a mental process, and one that can be stepped beyond, in my view.... See, for you, some experiences or events are *bad* , while some are *good*, and you focus on the *good* to make yourself feel better... and you teach this as your method. Is that correct so far? For me, I teach no one, but I say that ALL things in my life have value, and none are *good* or *bad*, certainly not good or bad based on whether they make me feel good or not.... to me, that is still being a slave to self-importance. In other words, I would say that for me, my whole life, every part of it, is of equal *good* in the sense that you mean it.... nothing pointless has ever happened to me - or to you, in my view..... Once we step outside of what makes our bodies feel better, there is another level - what experiences we accrue... no experience is pointless, in my view, so no part of my life is *bad* by your terms.... Still, for you happiness is paramount... for me, that is not my prime objective.
ORIGINAL: energyatwork
I have to be able to see beyond what is loving to recognize un-love and to assure that I am protected from harm.
That is certainyl a different meaning to the one I had! To see beyond love means, to me, to see it as what it is, and then to suspend it as a prime motivator, and see what is what after that..... consider those people who do not feel love - the filter of love is up in them, it is filtered out.... are they less valid beings? More than this, do microbes feel love, or plants??? Are they, as beings, less valid for that? Is their experience here less valid?
ORIGINAL: energyatwork
If I want, I can remain on the battlefield and hope that I dont get hit by flying missiles aimed at me or at someone else on either side of the battle, or I can remove myself from the fray and enter the hospital on the edge of the action, in order to help or be helped.
For me, I say *there is no battle*...... if we see ourselves as being at war with our lives, we will always see battle, battle, attack, attack, injury, and naturally run for cover an
RE: Not so brave....
ORIGINAL: gillyann
But there are so many different types of love, how difficult it is to give them all the same meaning or the same power;) Love for a child, love between adults, Gay love, love for animals, love for your parents, love for nature, love of travel, love of food, love of God, sexual love, love of friends, love of study..... all these and so many more.
Defining each seperate way you 'love' something or someone is an automatic human response, you usually don't have to consciously think about WHY you love that person, that baby or that object, or that inanimate object, it is just there and subtly recognised.
Is love a way of explaining 'attachment' to something or someone? Maybe sometimes certainly, but, human love can go very deep. Inexplicable actions of courage are achieved in the name of love for one example.
As are personal sacrifices.Question - do we all experience 'love' differently?
Love Gxxx
It could be that even personal sacrifice is based on self importance.