All You Need is Love

I have come to an unexpected conclusion about my place in the world, and how I create meaningful purpose in my life. When I look at the list of more "traditional" ways that people create purpose, I have none of these contingencies, so I feel outside of my self and in search of meaning. But when I look at this list without judgment, I can see clearly that the common thread running through is love. Human beings create meaning and purpose around that which they love, whether that love be for child, significant other, family, or friends.

So why are other pursuits of love any different?

I'm not sure why it feels frivolous or narcisistic to create a meaningful life around pursuits of love, rather than persons I love. I don't have children, or grandchildren, or spouses to love, so why should this mean that the places where I find love are any less meaningful than these? If God is love, then I think the point should be simply to fill one's heart and life with love. . . .do the things we love. . . .be with the people that we love. . . .eat the foods we love. . . .and be in love with whatever life we may find ourselves a part of.

The problem is that I am nothing more than a cog in the wheel here. I'm not doing what I love. . . .I'm doing what keeps me under the radar and behind the scenes so that I can focus on me for a while. And even though this may be what I need right now, the work that I'm doing is not meaningful to my spirit at all.

So what I'm saying is that I think the point of all of this crazy thing called life is nothing more than finding what we love. . . .even when we do not always love what we find. Some people find love in their children, or grandchildren. Other people find love with a soul mate, or soulful friends. And others find love in the meaningful work that they do. Why is one source of love better or more right than the other?

Does it really matter to God where or how we find love?

Love is such a loaded word. People can say, "I love you," but does it make it so? I've been "loved" in ways that left me deeply scarred for life. . . .was that love? I've also been loved in ways that suffocated me because the person was so emotionally needy. . . was that love? I've been told, "I love you," then never heard from the person again, or only heard from them when they wanted something from me. . . .was that love? I've also been told, "I lied when I told you that I love you". . . .so, was that love? If someone does something they love, but it ends up harming someone else, does that qualirfy as love?

I think human beings can throw the word love around the way a hockey player shuttles a puck across the ice, so perhaps I have some work to do before I can feel "warm and fuzzy" with the idea of finding love in the realm of human relationship. But in the meantime, I'm going to let myself fall back in-love with my life. . . .eat the foods I love. . . and do the things I love to do. . . .because these are the reasons (at least for now) why I am motivated to get up each day.