I believe that love cannot be bought except with love.
– John Steinbeck
Love cannot triumph unless it becomes the one passion of our life. Until we have a passionate love for Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament, we shall accomplish nothing.
– St. Peter Eymard
Kabir – The couplet
????? ? ???? ????, ????? ? ??? ???? |
??? ????? ???? ????, ??? ??? ?? ??? ||
transliterated:
Prem na badi upjai, prem na haat bikaay |
Raja praja johi ruche, sheesh dehi le jaay ||
Translation:
Love is not a field crop to harvest, nor is it sold in the marketplace |
And yet king or citizen, when they desire it, willingly sacrifice life in exchange ||
My understanding:
Some amongst us claim not to believe in that which cannot be perceived, and hence their lack of faith in God.
Yet the same person happily professes undying love for the passion of their life.
We, as humans, tend to contradict ourselves depending on the situation. Since love makes us feel good, we ‘go for it’, as the saying goes. And yet we refuse, steadfastly, to put in the little effort towards introspection that will help us realize the eternal bliss and perfect peace that ‘God-realization’ will give us.
This is not a call to gain religion (or maybe it is, at least partly). God is not just a luminiscient being up there who can solve everything and has all the answers. ‘God’ is the reference we use for the construct that allows us to center our focus and concentrate our own innate energies to finding thise simple yet elusive answers to questions that consume our daily living.
So, back to the original topic – love. Love is the pathway to finding both satisfaction and peace – again, non-transient and yet all-powerful entities. When we love, we learn to look over and beyond the small imperfections that our other negative instincts (jealousy, desire) magnify into insurmountable obstacles. Love is the lubricant that makes the journey of life a comfortable ride, and the discovery of the self a simpler quest.
Love is something latent within all, not something that can be traded for or bought with currency. Love is as omniscient and intangible as life itself, for it is the other true face of the coin of life. So instead of looking for it, use it, and it will allow us to bloom!