When you look down your path and cannot determine how to practically walk in what you know….that’s when a lot of great ideas, theologies, and doctrines fail. But it is the only true test of anything we put faith in.
For me, the only thing that works is remembering that I have a choice; that the only person I have control over is me, and I’m completely responsible for my responses and actions.
So when I respond to or initiate life situations, I can do so in love. When I respond to, or initiate interaction with people, I can do so in love-which is the only way I’ve found that delivers all the results I truly want.
What works for me is simple because it has to be. I can’t start spinning my mind’s wheels or I become more stuck in its mud. So it’s just love, which implies all sorts of desirable attitudes and attributes. I don’t choose it for any particular reason except that it works time and again.
Loving and respecting yourself and others is creating a harmonious environment for your life. Then you live in peace, and allow others to experience the same. What bigger difference can you make than this?
Circumstances (and people) can suck, but we only make them worse by forsaking what works for what feels more satisfying to our ego. You choose, so why not choose peace instead of furthering the chaos? Why not choose love?
I’m posting a rough cut of a new tune called Let it Be Love. It’s sooo unfinished, and kind of off-kilter in places, but I couldn’t help it…I think it’s pretty appropriate; hope you dig.
It’s a good idea but faith is not the only way to come to a decision, when you build a foundation of logic, reason follows implicitly. Faith is for those without conviction.
Love is a good way to be, no doubt but the problem enters in two major ways, 1) value problem: who defines the love? You shouldn’t impose any thought or feeling on another person because it denies their autonomy. 2) hate: the most extreme love. .. If youlive love you live hate too, you can’t have one without the other, they are paired together like catdog, destined to never separate. This is a problem that rests on the value problem, because again who is defining the love. It’s a chemical process in the brain completely subject to arbitrary decisions.
So instead rest on reason and worldly experience to guide you and no that no matter who you are and how you be you are playing the only role you can, there are 6.8 billion other people living completely different, both in their mind as well in the physical. Choose an ethical process that isn’t arbitrary, and a way to be without so harsh a consequence, think of how much destruction there is in the name of love. Love of Helen destroyed Troy. Love of tradition destroyed Jesus. Love for Allah and a nonwestern lifestyle killed 3000+ people on September 11th.
Chase
Chaaaase. Good to hear from you :)
I was directing ‘faith’ towards the beliefs we see in our world. Personally, I very much agree that faith is no superior way of approaching life-in all honesty, it seems to never really approach life, holding experience and reason at arms length..perhaps in fear that they might impart significant (or conflicting) realities??
Experience and reason are tools we’d be crazy not to use.
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I see your point about love, but that only works in terms of dualism. Love/Hate; Right/Wrong; Good/Bad. All equal and opposite reactions, certainly, but I try not to operate in that mindset, because that’s all it is, a mindset. It’s easier for me to be compassionate/respectful when I don’t have to separate people’s choices into opposing terms. Whatever responses or circumstances follow and accompany your choice will demonstrate that for you well enough. Focusing only on the choices I’m responsible for (my own) helps me keep my sanity in life.
Love…whatever its definition, people can always claim actions its name, or in the name of anything else for that matter. (We get mighty subjective when it comes to definitions. Sure makes it more difficult to land on the same page, eh?)
Claiming an action in the name of anything is a mask for lack of personal responsibility. Your action is nothing but your choice. No denial of automony there.
Like you said, love is a good way to be. The nature of love (warmth, compassion, respect, etc..) suggests that an extreme/opposite form of it would not be loving at all. That’s where religion/faith fail to see the purpose of love as a peacekeeping, harmony-seeking way, tending to take love and turn it into hate, which always seems to leave someone out in the cold (or dead, for that matter). Hate is not loving.
Reason and worldly experience demonstrate this adequately, as you mentioned. Any “love” that defines itself by its opposite cannot be real, but conjured by the mind to benefit the ego.
If you’re in N’ville soon, let’s get together, eh?
LOVE IT! Love. It’s all we got so let’s live out of it. Well written song, Chels!