“In a society at war with man and nature, a religion of peace and love might be fantasized into creed, rituals & otherworlds while it’s professed adherent continue to live [in a way that doesn’t support it]. ~ Jim Corbett (Goatwalking)
“Everything is Love” is a mantra that’s begun to grate on my nerves. It’s achieved a cult-like status with millions of people, variations shared ad nauseum, memeified with pretty pictures via social media. It’s surpassed ‘group think’ guided by a guru (or two) and segued into a something resembling mass hypnosis & contagious complacency. Except the behaviors we exhibit in oversharing online are not mimicked in the physical, public space.
Second-hand thought (see Ayn Rand’s Fountainhead for a good definition & description), is, essentially “thought based not on direct sensory experience but on assumptions, teachings passed down by others.” It’s a lot like sensory deprivation. Intentionally, albeit not consciously by the consumer, stunting our vision and growth. We lose creativity, the knowing of real connection, openness, access to all that surrounds us–like a lobotomy.
To me, the notion that “Everything is Love” is nothing more than a panacea–a proverbial pill–that inhibits real exploration of self and the world, an experience of the interconnectedness of things within and without us. Especially in this New Age/transmodern melange of metaphysics, self-help and spiritualit-y & -isms framed loosely by interconnectedness, by being One.
I mean, we all want to acknowledge being connected to things that feel and appear loving, loveable, lovely. However, the notion of being connected to infanticide, fear, rage, paraphilias, betrayals, massacres, starvation, torture, other forms of cruelty (never mind recognizing our responsibility for and in response to those things) or perceived negative behaviors & actions with which the world turns isn’t our cup of tea.
To me, the over-simplistic notion that every thing (think about it: there are somewhere between 3 and 100 millions species–the specific is certainly arguable amongst most scientists–but there are about 4000 species of aphids alone) is any one thing is what contributes to what I call contagious complacency.
All of life and the myriad of systems that create and move it are intricate, inter-related and so complex that most cannot ‘see’ or sense it, much less grasp it intellectually or logically. I don’t understand the need or desire to simply things in such a manner. I know that slicing and dicing things into smaller bits makes them more digestible but when ease of digestion is passed as universal truth and eaten up, well…
There is no shortcut. There may never be a way to describe the wholeness of life but to ignore the dirty, nasty, funky, skunky, for the light and airy (or ambiguously defined ‘love’ that’s not that love) does the every one and thing a great disservice.
Love is a magnificent foundation for every being. I’d say it is the foundation from whence we begin, initially as much of us as star dust.But it requires more action than ‘share’ or ‘like’. Rather than being shelved in a personal museum, love requires conscious engagement, even if it is with or for ourselves. That matters, too.
Don’t send love. Love. Create it, nurture it. Say it! Say it to yourself! Practice in front of the mirror until you’re comfortable with. Accept it when it comes your way-without judging it’s deliverer or your perceived unworthiness. It doesn’t need to be held tenderly or meticulously folded into a small corner of your world, our world. It is a powerful force beyond your fear of feeling. You’ll never understand the Everything or the One without it.