Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Sentimental or Not


Love.

Such a sentimental thing -- so easy to parody and diminish. But it's a deep word if we let ourselves dive down into it. An ocean with no floor.

Here's my take on love these days. We talk about love and hate. Love and hate. The opposite of love is hate. To me, the opposite of love isn't hate. It's fear. Hatred is just a manifestation of fear. Fear is at the bottom of everything we see as evil or bad -- hatred, violence, greed, meanness, pride, racism, intolerance, exploitation. It's a long list.

Love, on the other hand, dissipates fear. Things like kindness, generosity, acceptance, helpfulness, compassion, patience, mercy, grace. Another long list.

Where sentimentality fits into all of this, I don't know anymore. I just know I want to shed as much fear as possible, both inside and out. If love is the way to do that, then give me love, sentimental or not.


4 comments:

Galen Pearl said...

Your post reflects the basic teaching of A Course in Miracles, which says that fear is the opposite of love. But it goes on to say that what is all encompassing (love) can have no opposite. Fear is rooted in the mistaken belief in separation. Everything that arises from fear--all the things you listed--all have in common the reinforcement of the illusion of separation. All things rooted in love open our hearts and affirm the reality of connection. So I'm with you. Let me do as Jesus taught and love my neighbor as myself, because at the deepest level, my neighbor IS me.

HK Stewart said...

Galen:

You've been reading ahead...

H. K.

P.S.: How do you read my posts before I post them?

Conveyance Doctor said...

So, HK, looking at your post is appears as if you and I agree: Love is both a verb and a noun. This might follow: If Love is a verb that I perform then it is preceded by a choice that I have made. Would it make sense that this choice is partially based upon my history? Would it make sense that my sentimentality was developed by my history? If these thing prove "true", perhaps sentimentality is those "rose colored glasses, that I'm looking through", George Jones once sung. Perhaps sentimentality is one filter that I use to experience these present moments. Seem possibly?

HK Stewart said...

Dr. C:

I think you've transcended my lowly pay grade. I do agree that the word Love can be used as both a noun and a verb, but neither version (nor the word "Love" itself) can encompass anything but a whisper of what is really present. In the end, sentimentality isn't even a part of the conversation when it comes to this "Love."

Thanks so much for reading and writing. I really appreciate it.

H. K.