|
We all know that feeling of being deeply, hopelessly in love. When we’re in love with someone, we stop noticing that person’s faults and weaknesses, and see only the best in him or her. But most of us also know that the “love bubble” inevitably bursts, and looking back we ask: “Was the love I felt just an illusion? And why can’t I now feel as good as when I was in love?”
Kabbalah explains that there’s a reason why we feel best precisely when we feel this thing called “love.” It`s because during those moments we actually connect to the innate quality of the universe. Although we do so very briefly, we get in touch with the positive quality that invigorates and binds all parts of reality. It is the unifying factor between all objects: all the minerals, plants, and animals, as well as all the happenings of man`s inner world.
Kabbalah also calls this unifying quality “love” or “bestowal.” And while all of Nature adheres to this law or quality of universal love, man stands alone as an exception, and does not follow this law automatically, the way all other parts of Nature do. We are free to act as we like, to love or hate, to give or take; and most of the time, we act contrary to Nature’s general law.
But we feel best when we act in harmony with this quality. It’s because we thereby tune our “inner frequency” to the frequency that prevails in all of Nature, to the flow of the whole universe. If you ask a biologist or a botanist, they will agree that all living organisms, all life and development, are based on “a law of love.” In other words, all parts of a living organism interact according to the principle of “bestowal,” where they constantly give to each other. Each and every cell lives in order to take care of the whole body`s essential functions and wellbeing, to sustain its vitality.
Harmonizing with Nature Brings Infinite Love
Actually, all of Nature’s levels function according to this general, integral law that can be described as the law of love, unification or homeostasis. In order to exist, all of Nature’s elements have to interact and relate to each other through the act and attitude of bestowal.
But man acts and thinks opposite to this law. So on the one hand, our body functions on the animate level, and on this level, it naturally adheres to Nature`s laws. But on the human level of our interactions, in our thoughts and sensations, the place where our "I" exists, we are complete egoists. On the human level, we always try to get personal profit and gain, and most of the time we don’t really take the world`s integral wholeness into consideration.
The egoism within humanity isn’t always obvious to us. However, today’s globalization makes it much more noticeable. The world of human interactions has become so small and interconnected that it’s becoming clear that we all depend on one another, just like inhabitants of a small village. And this is where the problem comes into focus, as if under a magnifying glass: We clearly see that Nature’s law of absolute love – of universal, instinctive, natural attention and care - is far from being realized on the human level.
If we change this tendency, and begin regarding everyone according to the Natural law of bestowal, then we will feel that wonderful feeling of “love” all the time, not just at brief moments. It’s because once we realize that we’re all interconnected, the way the cells of our body are, we will participate in Nature’s flow as integral elements. We will simply merge with the rest of Nature, and our attitude to it – to everything around us – will be pure love.
But first, we have to understand that our current notions of love and hate are based on our egoistic attitudes. Whether we realize it or not, all of our relationships, whether sexual, familial, or social, are based on using others.
Of course, it isn’t pleasant to realize that we act this way, but by looking from a mature perspective, we can realize the problem and come closer to its solution. This is where Kabbalah steps in: It shows us the way to achieve perfect, non-transient love once we realize that this is what we need. It studies the interconnections between all people, viewing them as parts of a single integral system, and teaches us how to develop an attitude of bestowal to each other. By doing so, we harmonize with Nature on the human level, and feel what Kabbalah calls “Infinity” – infinite love, joy and peace.
|
