“Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eye.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
When I met my, now, fiancé, I felt something true. Not textbook true, but “I know this in my bones,” true. What I called this and still do, is “love.”
Can we as a species even begin to quantify what love really is? Or, do we lose something primary when we begin to try and hedge it in?
In my years (young to some, ancient to others) I have learned there is this thing called “love.” It is expressed in every culture, creed, and religion alike. Above all, this construct we call “love” begs a response.
Unprovable, but at the heart of the universe nonetheless. Science nor religion can point to any one specific area of the heart, mind, soul, or body and say, “yep, that’s it, love, we found it.” However, within each of us is this desire to hold another at a high value and worth. We are wired to give attention and ascribe worth to the things we consider sacred.
Left unchecked, we will naturally lavish our “love” on even the imaginary, made up, or unreal, all in the name of “worship.” Very often this can be to our own detriment.
Poets, mystics, and saints have all pointed us to this experience of heightened, focused adoration. Plainly said, they have pointed us to the reality that there is something more going on here. Worship, sadly, has become a hijacked concept confined to a legalistic ritual that must be observed a certain way, on a particular day, rather than a willful participation in the dance that is already going on in the universe.
Once we begin to consciously engage in this cosmic dance, our worship will take on new depths and a purer LOVE will be evident in the treatment of ourselves and others. You will know it when you reach out and touch another living being, or when you find your way home for the holidays, or at sunset when that perfect light welcome you in. YES. That is what I am talking about. LOVE. Not media, not a fling, not the OH S**t moment “what have I done?” NO. The “oh, yeah, that’s good” moment!
There is something true about this at the heart of the gospels. Jesus talked about loving your neighbor, the “others” that might be different, yet the same as you. Yes, I like that. Let’s think for a moment about those in our community that we don’t seem to have anything in common with, or do our best to avoid, yet our heart bleeds the same when it’s their child that got shot up in the latest act of inhumanity. Ok. Love. There it is again. It just keeps showing up.
No matter the violence, war, famine, or plague, we continue to rise above indifference with a sense of holistic wellbeing.
How can we not only recognize this love, but do it better? If that’s a thing? When I say, “do it better,” I don’t mean “wholesale cheapen it.” I mean, lets find a way to make our love intentional and irrational. Wait, it already is. Science tells us love is close to insanity. The path the brain follows when “in love,” is close to what is labeled “legally insane.” Interesting how one might just follow the other. Love has no rational I have been able to attest to. Yet, it remains the most consent factor and driving force in my life. Maybe it is the only thing that is truly rational as we know rational to be.
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our Get Going Podcast here, and follow us on Instagram. Cheers.
References:
Brian Zahnd, Sinners In The Hands Of A Loving God
Richard Rohr, The Divine Dance
Dr. Eben Alexander, Living In A Mindful Universe
