“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.” – Oedipus 401 BCE
When people are faced with the loss of a loved one, it can seem - especially at the onset - that their pain will be endless. The above quote, tells us that, (in a modern phraseology), that “no matter what the problem, love is the answer”. If love is the “answer”, then it’s manifestation, I believe, is twofold – there is incoming love and outgoing love.
At such a time, it is wonderful to surround ourselves with those who do truly hold us close to their heart, to bask in the warmth of their love for us. However, ultimately, this love alone will not be enough, for simply, people can only love us only to the extent to which they are capable. The reasons for this are myriad. This has nothing whatsoever with the merits of our situation, or our worthiness. Each of has our limits to live outside ourselves in the service of others. As we discover this to be true, we should never take this phenomena personally, as an affront or a lack of caring from others – it is simply the way of human nature.
This is where we have to stop relying solely on incoming love and fold ourselves gently into the mystery of outgoing love. We are told that when we give forth one measure, we will receive, in return, one hundredfold. If we find even one soul who is undergoing pain, such as we ourselves are, and then, we reach out to them in loving-kindness, we will see the mystery of this axiom unfold.
I realize, of course, that all of the above is simply this one person’s viewpoint. It will remain nothing but philosophical theory until it is put into practice. Then the magic will appear, and wonderfully, heal us when we thought that healing was impossible.
When we are feeling low, it is a sign.
It is a sign to go forth and do something really nice for another.
The act of so doing will bring a smile to our face and joy to our hearts.
Eventually, when this wondrous feeling abates,
we will know that this is again a sign.
It is a sign to go out once more and offer ourselves in service to others.
- eKim