Unconditional Love

Love is the highest vibration of our existence. It is what brings us our greatest joys, but also our deepest sorrow. For joy and sorrow are both poles of the same thing. There is no point where joy diminishes exactly into being sorrow. At some point in the middle is some degree of indifference, but there is no absolute joy and no absolute sorrow. You can’t have one without the other; they are both completely relative to each other.

Whether our experience of love comes from a connection to a lover, a family member, a friend, a pet, nature, or simply from the act of “being”, it is an integral part of our existence. So many of us live our lives with the intent of bringing more love into our lives. Many of the actions we take are purely a call for love: making more money, being successful, using makeup, working out, or creating something to garner recognition from those around us. So much of our life experience is guided, is steered, by our strong desire to experience and share love with other human beings.

The  concept of unconditional love supersedes needing or creating any reason to give or receive love. Unconditional love is giving love without expecting anything in return. It is loving just to love, no matter the conditions. It incorporates the deep understanding of the interconnectedness of nature, of the interconnectedness of all life. I feel that unconditional love is one of the greatest achievements a human being can aspire to in this existence. To truly love all life unconditionally, without any reservations, without any judgments is a truly beautiful thing and certainly an aspect of nirvana, of enlightenment.

To lose yourself completely, to feel as though you have everything you will ever need. To have a feeling of pure bliss wash over you and the electricity of love rising up your spine and exploding out of your heart is a feeling well worth seeking, no? I have been fortunate enough to fully engulf my existence in this feeling only a few times for only a limited period, but after having a taste, there really isn’t much better worth experiencing here on earth.

How can we tap into unconditional love? I have found that by cutting away at my own selfish desires, by concentrating on the emotions and needs of those around me has helped me reach some of the happiest times in my life. If ever I am feeling down, I look at my situation objectively (as possible) and realize that I am dwelling on something totally tied into my own selfish desires. When I release from this and remind myself that I am complete, that the whole universe is within, that my mind creates my experience, a feeling of peace washes over me.

Buckminster Fuller, one of the greatest minds of the last century was a big proponent of this way of thinking. He himself at the age of 32 decided that from that time forward he would devote himself to the well being of humanity. He had an idea of what unconditional love really is: “There is no joy equal to that of being able to work for all humanity and doing what you’re doing well.” I don’t think it is necessary to jump in head first as Buckminster Fuller did (although he is a perfect example of how that just may be the best tactic), but instead we can take steps in the right direction. The next time you catch yourself getting caught up in a personal drama, think about someone you care about and what you could do for them. Make a concerted effort to carry out one act of random kindness a day. Even just consciously deciding to smile at the random strangers you make eye contact with can change how you experience the world.

If there is one virtue, one path preached by all of the prophets of history, love encompasses it. Love is the way home. True unconditional love is a very high goal to aspire to, but if you never aspire to your greatest potential, you won’t ever have a chance of reaching it.