"It is through our basic relationships with God and others that we find the meaning of life and reach the fulfillment that God intends for us.
The fundamental problem of life is the problem of love. Without real love nothing else seems to make sense or to matter. We have a fundamental need to be loved, lovable, and loving. No fulfillment is possible without love. Love has the power to heal us, to renew us, to make us safe, to bring us deep joy, and to bring us closer to God and to each other. To think that we can exist apart from others and from the universe is an illusion. Love redefines our very existence in relationship to others, and brings about heaven on Earth.
One day we will realize that the things that cannot be counted or measured mean more in life than the things that can be counted. Why? Because they are the most real and the most valuable. This is what Antoine de Saint Exupery (1900-1944), the author of The Little Prince, meant when he wrote: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
And when St. Paul was talking about faith, hope, and love, he indicated clearly which was preeminent: "...the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor 13:13). In that same epistle, he also wrote:
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3).
Love is, indeed, the greatest power known to humankind. This tells us that, at the end of the day and of life, what we human beings really want is something that surpasses the desires for recognition, power, money, and things. What we really want is love. Love can heal and transform our lives. If we go to the ends of the earth and of ourselves to find this love, we will be rewarded with an understanding of the very reason we are here." - Jean Maalouf
Darwin's Perspective: With the daily pressure to perform, conform and succeed in life, it can seem a bit counter-intuitive to conclude that what really matters is love. After all, society regularly reinforces that money, class, career and power are worthwhile pursuits. And so too it would be counter-intuitive to conclude that society has it all wrong. Why would we have evolved the way we have? How could it be possible that God is present in our lives but that Humanity has steered off course?
As much as you might find fault in the world and not agree with where things are going, please resist the simple temptation to conclude that we're completely off course. Much like the events in your life point you towards your unique purpose, the state of our society is naturally the way it is. Our human condition is evolving and we are advancing to the conclusion of choosing love.
The world in which we live is full of chaos, dysfunction and negativity. There is no way to ignore the faults of our world. But this is merely the escalation of the human condition on a path to concluding that love is the better choice. It starts with you. In your heart, you will one day soon be presented with a tough choice to make. In your Mind, that voice in your head will tell you which choice to make. But tugging at you will be the aspirations of Spirit which will encourage you to choose the more loving option. This small moment in your life will be the catalyst of your awakening. In that moment, you will awaken to choice and choose love. In that moment, your connection to Spirit will strengthen and the bond shall grow from there. Your life will never be the same.
The same is the case for society. As more and more individuals awaken to this choice, more and more will choose love. As these numbers grow, this choice will spread and the path of love will become the majority. This is our divine destiny. The only unknown is when.
Upon looking back on the chain of events that changed everything, there will be a link that connects back to your choice. Your little choice is causal in the chain of events that will chart a new course for humankind. It would be a mistake to trivialize your role to play or the power of your choice. For without you, the chain remains broken and waits for another day.
The fundamental problem of life is the problem of love. Without real love nothing else seems to make sense or to matter. We have a fundamental need to be loved, lovable, and loving. No fulfillment is possible without love. Love has the power to heal us, to renew us, to make us safe, to bring us deep joy, and to bring us closer to God and to each other. To think that we can exist apart from others and from the universe is an illusion. Love redefines our very existence in relationship to others, and brings about heaven on Earth.
One day we will realize that the things that cannot be counted or measured mean more in life than the things that can be counted. Why? Because they are the most real and the most valuable. This is what Antoine de Saint Exupery (1900-1944), the author of The Little Prince, meant when he wrote: "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."
And when St. Paul was talking about faith, hope, and love, he indicated clearly which was preeminent: "...the greatest of these is love" (1 Cor 13:13). In that same epistle, he also wrote:
"If I speak in the tongues of mortals and angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3).
Love is, indeed, the greatest power known to humankind. This tells us that, at the end of the day and of life, what we human beings really want is something that surpasses the desires for recognition, power, money, and things. What we really want is love. Love can heal and transform our lives. If we go to the ends of the earth and of ourselves to find this love, we will be rewarded with an understanding of the very reason we are here." - Jean Maalouf
Darwin's Perspective: With the daily pressure to perform, conform and succeed in life, it can seem a bit counter-intuitive to conclude that what really matters is love. After all, society regularly reinforces that money, class, career and power are worthwhile pursuits. And so too it would be counter-intuitive to conclude that society has it all wrong. Why would we have evolved the way we have? How could it be possible that God is present in our lives but that Humanity has steered off course?
As much as you might find fault in the world and not agree with where things are going, please resist the simple temptation to conclude that we're completely off course. Much like the events in your life point you towards your unique purpose, the state of our society is naturally the way it is. Our human condition is evolving and we are advancing to the conclusion of choosing love.
The world in which we live is full of chaos, dysfunction and negativity. There is no way to ignore the faults of our world. But this is merely the escalation of the human condition on a path to concluding that love is the better choice. It starts with you. In your heart, you will one day soon be presented with a tough choice to make. In your Mind, that voice in your head will tell you which choice to make. But tugging at you will be the aspirations of Spirit which will encourage you to choose the more loving option. This small moment in your life will be the catalyst of your awakening. In that moment, you will awaken to choice and choose love. In that moment, your connection to Spirit will strengthen and the bond shall grow from there. Your life will never be the same.
The same is the case for society. As more and more individuals awaken to this choice, more and more will choose love. As these numbers grow, this choice will spread and the path of love will become the majority. This is our divine destiny. The only unknown is when.
Upon looking back on the chain of events that changed everything, there will be a link that connects back to your choice. Your little choice is causal in the chain of events that will chart a new course for humankind. It would be a mistake to trivialize your role to play or the power of your choice. For without you, the chain remains broken and waits for another day.
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