Love or wishful thinking?
I had to read the quote more than once ‘To love is to recognize yourself in another’ Eckhart Tolle. I believe that love… if true love is practiced more, many of the distractions in life…anger, abuse in any form, bitterness, grudges, jealousy,racism, spite,war, and others would disappear eventually. It would not happen all at once. I know our beliefs and values predict our actions..How you treat others, comes from how you feel about others..For example, if you feel that others are stupid, and should be called stupid, you will not only call them stupid, but treat them as such.
Love…I am just going by a hunch, but if we truly worked at loving others, then, to me, it is much like treating others as you would like to be treated. To love means:
1. there is no need for intimidation or jealousy. We all have our own spiritual gifts/talents that we should all embrace and embody what we have been given. No one is destined to have the exact same life…We would then be robots and so bored to death. There is only one Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Paula Deen, etc.
2. there is no need to call someone other than the name he or she is given or gives you permission to do so. This includes prejudice/racism. The excuse that I can call another a certain derogatory or racial name because someone else does it is just that…an excuse. As mentioned before, I never understood racism…to not like someone because they are a different color goes beyond the color or race to me…There has to be something beyond the color or race issue.
3. not standing in the path of others while they are walking in the same direction because you are conscious about your surroundings and want to respect others.
4. putting a leash on your dog because you truly do not know how your dog will act around another. Many deaths have been the result of a family dog attacking someone inside or outside the family because that person did not believe that the dog would. Leashing your dog, especially when it is a law or rule is out of respect for others, especially picking up the dog’s poop.
5. there is no need to push or shove another because you feel like it or want to impress others. You would not want the same done to you.
6. there is no reason to gossip about another because you would be too involved in your life, and you see no need to do so. Each has his or her own life to live and lessons to learn.
7. there is no need to damage someone’s possessions because if you truly love someone, you would be willing to let them go and not get back at them. You want to be with someone who loves you for you. This includes when you are living somewhere such as renting out an apartment or house. You would take care of the place as if it was your own.
8. there is no need of abusing or using another because you realize that life is a miracle…and everyone is here for a purpose and that reason is not to be your punching bag or anything else just to satisfy a “thought” need.
9. there is no need for murder, including wars, because it is not your right to decide that someone does not belong here. Life is worth living…
10. to have someone you call a friend do something he or she does not want to do. We do not push others to be or do something they do not want to do out of respect for their life. You should not have to prove yourself to a true friend. A true friend accepts you for who you are.
Timika Chambers RN BSN MSN CDE
A mother’s words of wisdom. From my heart to yours. Building within.
Timika S Chambers 