Sunday, February 19, 2017

The Fast Food of Love




Victoria’s eyes rested on his rugged jaw as if her life depended on it. He was her answer to every fantasy, but now he was dead. He was able to take a temporary physical form, but she knew the ethereal body wouldn’t last. He was minutes from disappearing forever. Her heart was already mourning the loss. Life would not smile again and the love of her life would fade from her memory, unless she could find a way to bring him permanently back to life.

She knew the Creminians had secret ways. Her mother told stories of the dead coming to life. It was a long time ago, but the ancient practices held the key to immortality and reanimation of the deceased.  “Hold on my love,” she shouts across the divide. “I will spend my life finding The Way.”

This could be an excerpt from a modern love story. It’s a story of unrequited love. Victoria’s life and well-being depend on her lover’s existence. Unfortunately this is the illusion of the western way. We worship the idea that the love of a special person will bring delight to our world, fill our hearts with love, and give meaning and purpose to our lives.

Looking for a partner to fulfill our lives is like eating fast food. Fast food will fill you up for a while, even bring a smile, but if all one eats is fast food, then their health will eventually suffer. The body needs natural whole foods on a regular basis to flourish.

We need more than the love of a partner to feed the soul. Romantic love is not a soul-lution. It is not a bad thing; it is just a fleeting thing. It is a groovy kind of love, as the song says, but romantic love is the fast food of love. Being in the presence of one who deeply loves himself or herself and one who knows their true identity, brings us much closer to love than when we are with one who expresses their undying affection for us.

Doesn’t it feel good to be around someone who loves all of life, including themselves and others? They have nothing to prove and don’t need to get anything from anyone. They don’t live life with a hidden agenda. People flock to gurus because of the nourishing love that flows from such self-realized saints, but ultimately the saint points the disciple in another direction. The guru points them back to themselves and illuminates the disciple so s/he can see the light within.
The New Year is a time of reflection. What is my life about? Why am I here? How should I spend my time and energy? Ultimately the question that puts an end to all questioning is, “Who am I?” These are the questions that allow us to bring accountability to our lives and the questions that open the door to a real soul- lution. Forget the worn out questions like: “Why am I not rich, successful, loved, or appreciated?” These are dead end questions.

If the questions above leave you flat, then learn the ways of the mind. Learn how to listen to that which is deep within. Allow the mind to spend its time learning to listen, rather than learning how to fix things. I’m not speaking about leaving things broken. Of course we have to fix a flat tire. I’m speaking of touching the ground of being as a way of living, rather than reaching to the stars for more fast food. Forget about love stories, fantasies, and longing. They are bits of desire that lead to suffering and we don’t have to be about suffering. Let’s be about life, satisfaction, love, and well-being. It’s our destiny to show up in our lives and to awaken to our true selves. May this year reflect the peace and joy in life and may you always find that life can be EZier and EZier.