The Ways The Masters Mastered Love
Many love to ask what love is. I am not exception to the rule. Love is one of those few nouns that expresses something that is real but maybe not because it is just a word. In other words “intangible”. In the case of romantic love it is something we feel with our significant other, but, still, it is intangible. It has no color, no flavor, and no texture, unlike a jacket or automobile. The ancient masters and even current literary giants have taken a stab at describing what this mysterious noun means, and though many come close, still, until one has experienced real love, the words are only words that are interpretations written by masterful writers. Some of them may or may not have experienced love, even so we enjoy reading their loving verbiage.
Theodore Seuss penned a wonderful quote about love. He said, When you are in Love you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.” The great Sufi master and poet Rumi gave a caveat to others who were or are in observation of the lovers; Let the lover be disgraceful, crazy, absent-minded. Someone sober will worry about events going badly. Let the lover be. Obviously it was meant as a warning that this thing called love can be quite intoxicating and a couple in love should be left to their devices. In a way, Rumi is giving a fair warning to others. That those not in love should at least respect it in others.
In many of Ralph Waldo Emersons quotes he talks about love and those trying to interfere with it or drive wedges out of envy or hate. He is saying that nature (which he often capitalized with an N or in quotes (Nature) is at one with God as are we (humans). So interference is based on ego, and, ego has never won over nature, because nature has God behind it. He doesn’t come out and say this, he leaves it to the discretion of his readers, but it becomes a very clear thread in the theme of his famous quotes. It is almost a Love conquers all theme in that, how can it not? Love is simply a part of nature as is everything and everyone else; and only ego can try to interfere with it, and ego always loses in the end (if it is up against nature).
Emerson knew much of love and a person’s connection with nature and this is reflected in one of his better-known quotations. Everything in nature contains all the power of nature. Everything is made of one hidden stuff. Though Emerson’s brilliant observance of human behavior and fascinating theories of how the universe works, he had a childlike fascination with nature and it reflects in all his quotes regarding it. The theme of Emerson’s famous nature quotes is that we, as human beings, are not separate from nature, and to develop a faith, one must first develop a love and/or devotion to (outer nature) such as trees, flowers, animals, etc. Nature imparts a very telling secret; we are a part of it. Even Voltaire echoed Emerson’s feelings on romance with Love is a canvas furnished by Nature and embroidered by imagination. Notice Voltaire, also capitalizes the N in Nature; as he considered it, like Emerson, one of God’s greatest creation, if not the greatest,the nature of human love.
This month I turned fifty-five. Though I was taught many of these famous love quotations in my early days of college, they really meant nothing to me, as, I didn’t think they pertained to me. I was still finding myself, as were many of my peers, and in that self-absorption of finding oneself, there is not a lot of room for real love; but, plenty of room for ego. That is what I had and projected. Arrogance is just a small blip on the r screen that can be noisy, by talking the talk, but not walking the walk which clearly becomes evident.
In my lifetime, I have been blessed to experience the give and take of real love with my finance Lee Hiller, who, like me, walked many similar paths in her early life in search of self and a love relationship. Ironically, we were both ready for real love at the same time; and we are both very grateful.
Discussion Area - Leave a Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.