December 12

  

Today's quotation:

It is especially appropriate to say that the greatest command, the most condensed philosophy, the wisest success-achieving advice ever given was given by a man who was crucified.  He summed it all up when he said, "Love one another."  One does not really need to fight for success.  One can love one's way to success.

Thomas Dreier

Today's Meditation:

What an effect it would have on our lives if we were able to love one another unconditionally!  What an amazing effect it would have on all of our societies and cultures if we were able to teach each other how to reach each other in love.  How great it would be if everyone could learn that love isn't some romanticized ideal to be found with one other person, but a way of life that could bring wonderful results to everyone if it were practiced and taught.

Unfortunately, though, love doesn't tend to be on most people's lists of highest priorities -- neither learning about love nor practicing it all the time, every day.  We don't ask ourselves what the loving response to most situations would be; rather, we tend to act and react based on what our egos tell us that we need.  We look at ourselves as separate from everyone else, which makes love much more difficult because we don't feel the connections that are truly there.

"Love" definitely is a verb, and it definitely is a skill that needs to be practiced regularly.  It doesn't just happen.  It takes effort and perseverance and a strong desire to make it a part of our lives, whether we speak of the love we feel for our partners, the love we feel for our children and families, or the love we feel for our co-workers and the strangers on the street.  But if we do make it a priority in our lives and practice it as well as we can, then the benefits of our effort will be amazing, not just for ourselves and our own success, but in the lives of all the people that we touch with our love.  We most certainly can love our way to success, and it's the most valid and honorable path to success that there is. 

Questions to consider:

Have you ever considered the possibility of loving
your way to success?

What are some of the things that make loving a
difficult way of life to follow?

Why do so many people react so negatively
to the love we try to give them?

For further thought:

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them humanity cannot survive.

Dalai Lama

  

  

 

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