All You Need is Love…and a Dog
All you need is love. The mantra we could all whisper quietly to ourselves, especially when we encounter people who really need it.
Out of nowhere, I received the following private message from someone who was a Facebook friend. Mind you, up until this point, we had zero communication via posts or private messages. It is the full excerpt, but I have blocked his name to protect his privacy:
XXX: Jesus Christ is the truth and the way. Please seek him.
Sophie: XXX, thank you for your message; however, I don’t need to seek what I have already found. I pray every day—to God and Jesus. If by your note you are passing judgment, please don’t, as you have no idea what my relationship to God and Jesus is, but I do. Blessings
XXX: Awesome! I’m overjoyed. I don’t want anyone to lose their salvation. The Bible tells us that many will be fooled by false doctrine.
Shortly after that, he unfriended me.
This false doctrine he speaks of? I can only imagine he was referring to Tarot cards, which I use in my spiritual counseling process. Aside from being a tad misguided in general; he, like some others, has NO idea what Tarot cards really are, but that will be fodder for another post.
It’s really okay that he unfriended me. Not the kind of okay as though I was glad to be rid of him; rather, I accept him. I really don’t have a problem with people believing whatever they want to believe. Does it astound me at times? Yes. Does it make my Scorpion tail quiver ever so slightly, just eager for a fight at times too? Yes.
Still, he has the right to think or feel whatever he desires. The result of which is disgust or perhaps even hatred toward me, yet I don’t return these feelings. In fact, if he ever wished to friend me again, I would accept. So, who exactly needs salvation here? Me or him?
Perhaps he finds solace in a system based on domination and control and that’s fine. I just don’t find solace there myself. Personally, I won’t be signing up for that regiment any time soon. In fact, never. I not only love and accept all people; I also value my freedom too much.
There are none so blind, as those who will not see. Does that apply to me or to him? Given that our perspectives are our own, it could go either way.
All you need is love.
Belief is a Personal Thing
I believe in God (or a Superior Intelligence) with all my heart and soul. I often call Him/Her/Them/The All, The Universe. All you need is love.
I was raised Catholic, but according to Jewish Law, I’m Jewish. My maternal grandmother was Italian and Jewish; however, my mother was raised Catholic.
When I was a kid, I loved going to church. As I got older, I also loved going to temple, Baptist, Self-Realization, Methodist, Buddhist, and every other imaginable service too.
I find a great deal of peace being in these places of worship, but true to nature and even as kid; I fought the philosophy of most organized religions in small or great measure. Why? Because they were contradictory! How’s that for irony or is it paradoxical?
The thing with contradiction is that it can all be true. It can also be false or fall somewhere in-between. My philosophy is such that it just needs to make sense.
The Bible is rife with allegory, thus, several ways in which one can interpret it. One way is no more right or wrong than the next, because all of it is based on individual perception and interpretation anyway. I just did what I thought was the obvious thing to do. Breakdown the information presented, give it some careful thought, and assess intent.
Over time, I realized that a lot of what I heard during services had nothing whatsoever to do with teaching others about what living a good life really was or could be, rather, a forum for attaining domination and control over humanity by instilling guilt, shame, judgment or fear and I wasn’t buying it. Many have though; bought into it−often referred to as extremists by some or fanatics by others.
Say it with me, all you need is love.
Stepford’s, All You Need is Love
For the sake of argument, rather than call them fanatics, let’s just refer to them here as Stepfordesque mindless automatons, whose only objective is to create a Matrix-like dystopian society by enforcing their hate-based, control seeking thoughtlessness and will on everyone else−or the Stepford’s for short.
The behavior of which reminds me of the movie, Stepford Wives, hence the reason for the name.
These Stepford’s don’t think for themselves. Rather, like baby birdies, they take in what was regurgitated to them and in turn, regurgitate to their offspring, then expect ALL of us to line up for that nasty, hate-based and judgmental s**t too. Take my Facebook un-friend for example.
All You Need is Love: Universal Truths Versus Individual Perceptions
What I surmised is that there are unassailable and Universal truths contained in all religions; truths that are really hard to misinterpret and they stand alone, without attachments of power, control, fear, shame and all the rest.
Some are: non-judgment, loving thy neighbor, unconditional love, forgiveness, helping others, holding sacred all living things, doing one’s best to inflict no harm, speak the truth as one understands it to be, compassion, kindness, acceptance, doing unto others and lastly but most importantly, all you need is love.
The definition of “sin” is an individual perception. I might think it sinful to cheat on one’s taxes, whereas you might not. So instead, let’s assume that we all feel badly about something we’ve said or done to greater or lesser degree. Therefore, “those without sin, cast the first stone” makes perfect sense to me, because no one is without sin; thereby, no one has the right to judge anyone else for any perceived sin.
All you need is love.
Also based on individual perception is what constitutes a greater or lesser sin. Most would agree that murder ranks up there as one of the worst sins; however, many of these same individuals (most likely Stepford’s) don’t blink twice at their feeling righteous about capital punishment; a complete contradiction!
Therefore, if one truly practices the unassailable truth of non-judgment, it cannot co-exist with perceptions of sin or even degrees of sin. There are neither, because there is no true or ultimate assessment possible without judging and judging is based on individual perception of what is a sin or being sinful in the first place.
We are arbiters of no one else but our self.
Without a doubt, contradictions exist, and they exist within all of us. Quiet, inner acceptance of our self and contrary nature is peaceful. It’s when we feel the need to dominate and control by exerting our perceptions or contrariness on others or in the environment that we no longer have acceptance or peace; within or without.
Say it with me, all you need is love.
I happen to be spiritual and believe in God; so I reference my beliefs, but it would be ludicrous to say or believe that Atheists or Agnostics cannot or do not live by these unassailable truths as well. Live and let live.
I also believe in the teachings of Jesus, Buddha, and other prophets or mystics for the unassailable truths they stood for, and I do my best to live by those teachings because they make sense. As far as I’m concerned, God/Goddess/The Universe/All That Is loves ALL unconditionally; the so-called good, bad, and ugly. God save anyone who tries to contradict me on that.
However, there is a caveat too. These unassailable truths are aspirations or ideals of being, which may or may not ever be attained in one’s physical life. I believe the only way to even come close to these ideals is via personal experience, which includes that which is labeled as negative and positive. One cannot know what is light, without also knowing what is dark. In addition, whatever we label either, as being; it is still based on individual perception. This unassailable truth also makes it easier to understand the concept of non-judgment.
All you need is love.
Additionally, one can mentally understand a concept, but it can also be a pretense of understanding and not true understanding. For instance, telling a child that he or she must never touch a hot iron. The child might see or feel the apprehension or fear conveyed by the parent if they do so or understand the descriptive of what will happen if they do, but unless or until they actually touch the iron (personal experience), they will have no true understanding for themselves.
Stepford’s, are you paying attention and thinking for yourselves yet? Still regurgitating? We’ll come back to you later.
There is a big difference between assessing something in order to decide for us and looking outward toward another person and making judgments about them or what they should or should not be doing. We have no idea what God has in mind for any of us to learn in this life or how we will learn it and each soul has a personal journey containing its own unique purpose.
God/Goddess put everything on this Earth; all miracles, mysteries, humanity, other life, nature and yes, even Stepford’s (they are in a class all their own) and all of it is perfect. What right has any human being to impose its little mind upon or rate ANY of this magnificence? This truth also makes it easier to understand the concept of non-judgment. Still regurgitating?
All you need is love.
Beside which, if we do make judgments about others, we need to remember to turn the mirror around and have a good look at what we are really seeing. Chances are it has nothing to do with “them” and everything to do with us.
Before screaming foul, saying that I am making judgments about the Stepford’s, read on.
The Root of All Evil
Personally, I don’t believe in Satan or hell.
Moreover, if truly either do exist, they are right here on Earth. They might resemble self-righteous fanatics, gluttonous and horned corporate heads, spineless politicians or even Facebook un-friends. All of them Stepford’s because they all seek the same thing: domination and control.
Money is not the root of all evil, domination and control is. Money is just one of its many symptoms. Are Stepford’s the dark side? Maybe so and if so; I have learned what is Light by your being here. Thank you.
Some moralistic Stepford’s made so much off of the backs of hard-working Americans whilst not paying their fair share of taxes; if any at all, that they were able to send the surplus offshore in order to keep it that way. Gee, all those wire-transfer fees must be a bitch to swallow, and they must be positively choking on their own finger-pointing moral turpitude as well.
Obviously, I have VERY strong opinions regarding Stepford’s. Not because I don’t feel that they have the right to believe as they wish, live as they wish or say what they wish, rather, that they try to impose their beliefs upon MY life or MY rights in the process; a place where THEY have no rights whatsoever. That is not a judgment, it’s a fact.
If Stepford’s choose to carry fire and brimstone in their minds and speak it with their mouths, all that devilish heat has to hurt−them, not me. I live in a world of love, acceptance, calm, peace, pretty rainbows, and flowers. I would only ask that they kindly not spit on my flowers. The heat would kill them.
As Jesus said, “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do.” Another unassailable truth. I just wish Stepford’s gave some deeper thought to what they do. They are not alone on this Earth; therefore, it isn’t all about them.
All you need is love.
What Would Your Dog Do?
Since Stepford’s have managed to mangle the concept of what Jesus would really do; I suggest they ask themselves what would their dog do?
Dogs love unconditionally. If you inadvertently hurt them, they will lick you with immediate forgiveness.
They are forever loyal and will walk beside you until the end of your days. They don’t care whether you are gay or straight, what your skin color is, how fat or skinny you are, what country you were born in or what country you live in, whether you are Atheist or Christian, Democrat or Republican, if in a same sex or opposite sex marriage, whether male, female, or somewhere in-between, how much money you have or if you brush your teeth every day.
They just love you, period. Is it still lost on you Stepford’s?
Dog is God spelled backward. Try regurgitating that for a change.
The Master does his job and then stops.
He understands that the universe is forever out of control and that trying to dominate events goes against the current of the Tao.
Because he believes in himself, he doesn’t try to convince others.
Because he is content with himself, he doesn’t need others’ approval.
Because he accepts himself the whole world accepts him.
Lao Tzu
Tao Te Ching