Day Shift — Why Love is the ONLY Reason for Being
"Love is about offering to the world, not getting from it."
I have a quote today from James Baldwin:
" ‘Somebody,’ said Jacques, ‘your father or mine, should have told us that not many people have ever died of love. But multitudes have perished, and are perishing every hour — and in the oddest places! — for the lack of it.’ "
—James Baldwin, Giovanni's Room
The whole reason we're here is to learn about how to love, and how to receive love. And the whole message that we give ourselves and that we take from the world—whether it's giving it to us or not—is that we're not worthy of love and that we're not worth offering our love to anyone else. We're taught that we're needy, and we need to get from the world in order to be okay. And love is the opposite of that. Love is about offering to the world.
There is no fulfillment I can find from the world to make me feel okay in here. There is no love I can offer to the world unless I feel okay in here, because I'll always be at the mercy of my neediness.
This is why we do spiritual work— is to get filled up in here. Because in here is already filled up. In here is the place of truth for each of us, for all of us. I am fulfillment itself — beyond all the messages of unworthiness, and lack of value, and not mattering. Underneath all of that — all the thoughts and stories of "what's wrong with me, what's wrong with you, what's wrong with the world" — the truth of me, and the truth of you, is: I am fulfillment itself. And from that place, love is the only thing I can do. Offering outward is the only thing I can do.
I would love for everyone to find some way of getting past the thinking and into that deepest truth of what we are. Because from that place — love can be challenging, love is challenging, and love is something that has to be learned and relearned and relearned — but from that place, it's the only possible reason for being here.
And, not coincidentally, but it is the actual fact that, when I find my way of doing that—of loving from that deepest part of me—then I actually do begin to experience the joy of living that I've been looking for all along.
So today, just find someone to love.
Find someone that you can't imagine ever being able to love, and see if you can just open yourself to the fact that if it's all about love, could I possibly love even that?
It's a good challenge.
Enjoy the day. Thanks for listening.
Jeff Kober is an accomplished actor, photographer and vedic meditation teacher. He has had regular roles in notable series like The Walking Dead, Sons of Anarchy, and NCIS: Los Angeles, and has appeared in numerous films including Sully and Beauty Mark. Kober is also a writer and artist, and has previously penned screenplays and co-authored the book Art That Pays.
This Day Shift reminded me of a
Rilke Quote:
‘And God said to me, write:
leave the cruelty to kings.
Without that angel barring
the way to love - there would be no bridge for me into time.’
- Rilke • Book of Hours I, 53
If we were to love as you speak of:
•loving from that deepest part of me
•becoming a ‘Outward Offering’
•recognizing we are ‘Fulfillment Itself’
We become a bridge for Love/God … into time. A vessel or crossing for Love/God into this moment. Into this day.
We can become Love’s hands, feet, and mirror neurons
But we must first recognize we are indeed ‘fulfillment itself’
We have to capacity and deep well of love to draw upon to become precision medicine for people ‘perishing for the lack of love’
Thank you again for these Day Shift, mind•shift offerings and contemplative exercise