All You Need is Love

Daily Dose #15

2/8/12

All You Need is Love

What if it were just that simple?  Have you ever said that to yourself?  I have.  And then I usually think to myself: “It probably is ‘just that,’ only there’s nothing ‘simple’ about it.”  It’s kind of like the old saying: “If it were easy, everybody would be doing it.”  Remember Uri Geller?  He used to come on TV shows and, supposedly bend eating utensils with his mind, like that little kid in the movie The Matrix.   If you Google “spoon bending” you’ll find endless discussions on all sides of the issue.  Perhaps if I were truly “one” with Life, the Universe, and Everything, I could bend spoons with my mind and love all people at all times.  But I’m not, and I can’t.

Mental paradoxes like those can make us feel confused, inept, and unworthy, especially when we judge ourselves against what someone else suggests is our “true” potential.  After all, what kind of a human being can I be if I’m only using 10% of my brain?  The answer, I think, is that I’m a very normal human being.  Pretty much like everyone else.  Would I like to be more loving?  Yes, I would.  Must I attain universal love (whatever that is) and total equanimity in order to reach that goal?  No, I don’t think so.  That is like suggesting that those famous penguins should cross Antarctica in half the time without growing longer legs or using ice skates.

I’m going to cut myself some slack.  But just in case love is the answer, I’m going to start by loving myself and the people around me just a little bit more today.