Love & Love’s Messengers

“It takes a fool to learn that Love don’t Love nobody.”

I remember back in the day when this song was popular. The
artist was talking about how much pain and suffering he experienced because of
the love he held for a woman. It is common in Western culture to think of love
in these terms. How is it that a concept that is so pervasive and revered can
be the cause of so much pain and suffering, indeed it can often be the cause of
death and destruction?

If ten people are questioned at length about what love
means, each person will have a different concept. Each of these people may also
have an opinion on whether they are seeking love or avoiding love. Those who
still seek love may do so in the hope that their idea of love actually exists.
Those who avoid love may have recognized it as a source of pain to be avoided.

We have learned in our initiation that love is a concept
that has been used for thousands of years to corrupt every level of society.
The expectations of men and women in their relationships are defined by the
ambiguous definitions that they hold. Nation states and great institutions
perpetrate great evils in the name of the love that they bear for their
victims.

Witness the woman who expects that her lover should call
her every day. If he does not call, she feels unloved and neglected. In the
mean time, the man is looking forward to the weekend when he can spend quality
time, sharing experiences with his love. When they meet, she is surly and angry
as a result of the neglect that she imagined. He is insulted and hurt by her
attitude and takes this to mean that she no longer cares for him.

Witness the nation that creates genetically modified seeds
for an impoverished tribe. The tribe attempts to use the seeds and finds that
they are destructive to the land. They discontinue the use of the seed, but the
damage is done because the genetic material has spread to compatible species in
the environment, irrevocably destroying the natural balance of the region in
which the tribe lives.

In each case, the victims are helpless to defend
themselves. Any rejection of the actions of the lover toward the beloved is
considered ungrateful and even immoral, yet acceptance will lead to destruction.

All will vilify the man who defends himself against the
angst of his lover. Though he himself knows the quality of his love, it will
never be accepted in the context where unknown expectations are unfulfilled.

An indigenous culture that defends itself against the
unwanted solutions of modern society is labeled primitive and backward. The
leaders of these people are sometimes criminalized by the international
community for their actions. The resulting stress can even destroy the
cohesiveness of the tribal community itself.

Should we conclude that the concept of love itself is
flawed?

We can easily criticize the idea of romance. The etymology
of the word quickly points us to the Roman culture. The Roman culture defines
love by the goddess Venus. A study of Greek and Roman mythology shows that
Venus, though beautiful, was an evil and vindictive goddess. Her primary modus
operandi was to curse those who were in possession of those things that she
desired but did not have. If we take this as the proper attitude for love and
lovers, it is easy to see how this will lead to destructive conflict.

We should remember however, that the Greeks and the Romans
had several different words for what we today call Love in the English
language. This type of specificity made communication clearer in the context of
loving relationships. We could still conclude that Venus or, as the Greeks
named her Aphrodite, would be a messenger of love.

The other concept of love in the west is defined by the
religious figure Jesus Christ. The story of his life, death and resurrection is
defined by the love that he bore for all human kind. This love was exemplified
in him sacrificing his life for the sins of humanity.

We can criticize the very name of Jesus by analyzing the
Medu phraseology from which it is most likely derived. In doing so, we would
conclude that either the people who originally shared this story with were
illiterate, or they assume that we are. This, of course, would be true of most
of us.

The greatest indictment of this concept of love is not the
story of the life of Jesus, but the behavior of those who claim to be his
followers. It is unreasonable that a doctrine of love should be used to justify
war, slavery and destruction. Islam, in contrast, is very direct in their behavior.
Accept Allah, or die. Any one who rejects their teaching is simply hated.

The concept of Love is a very personal one for me
individually. I have lived my whole life filled with this emotion. The emotion
that I feel does not place expectations upon my beloved. It is not limited to
any individual and yet any individual that I perceive is its inspiration.

Each breath that I take is an act of love. Time and space
are transcended by its scope. I look around and all that I see is the beauty of
a perfect creation. The only responses that seem appropriate are awe, wonder
and love. These are the only responses that I seem to be able to give.

My only sorrow is in the misunderstanding within myself.
It is this that I am now trying to come to grips with. How am I different from
the perceptions of my beloved? Why should there ever be doubt about what I know
to be true within myself. How could anyone require that proof be shown of the
love that I bear?

It seems that the love within me is both personal and
impersonal. It is possessed by me, yet unlimited by my concept of self. The
idea that my works should be the proof of it seems a corrupting limitation of
what I perceive it to be. This is not to say that I should not follow the
divine code of conduct. It is simply that the divine code of conduct seems the
most natural and obvious way to be.

I am constantly confused by the fact that the perceptions
that I have of my true self do not match the perceptions of others. It is from
this that I derive my shame. It is from this that I derive my anger and my
sorrow. What must I do to show the world the truth that I perceive within
myself?

How can I become Love’s True Messenger?