"God and love are two of the most misunderstood words in the human lexicon." The quote goes something like that, but I can't seem to find the source. No matter, the concept isn't exactly novel, though it is critical to understanding the struggle we as human beings have in seeking both.
There are many wise and passionate souls who have written countless books in order to tease out the meaning and significance of each of these incredibly complex entities. I humbly include myself among those who have made such attempts, but the deeper I come to know both, the more I realize that such concepts cannot be known or completely understood with mere words.
Yet we still try.
Without entertaining the meaning or existence of God or the expression of love, I would venture to say that neither can be fully experienced outside the intimacy of relationship. And to believe in either, we must first believe in something greater than fulfilling our selfish individual desires. Yet to believe in something greater than ourselves, we must first know and understand who we are as individuals and what we desire from life.
Perhaps it's not God or love that are misunderstood so much as we misunderstand ourselves.
"A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?" - Maugham
ReplyDeleteNicely said, my friend. I agree with your perception of our great ability to misunderstand ourselves. I'm interested in your idea that we can only fully experience God or the expression of love (any chance these are one and the same?) within an intimate relationship, or more accurately the intimacy of relationship. There does seem to be a semantic difference. I presume you're talking about relationships with other people. Can that relationship be passing on the street? Or giving to a cause whose on-the-ground operation you'll never see?
And the wonder and awe I feel listening to a great musical performance or walking in the woods or looking at the stars...?
You're very wise and thoughtful, Emily, and I love being on this journey with you.
Thank you, as always, for sharing your kind and encouraging words, my friend. Maugham simply calling God "the Infinite" is so apropos. I've been casting aside my own preconceived notions and privately referring to God as "Mystery." What a refreshing landscape "infinite mystery" provides for a conversation about spirituality.
ReplyDeleteI did intend to identify intimacy within any relationship, not just romantic, but also platonic, unexpected, experiential, anonymous, to the earth, etc. What I had hoped to communicate was the notion that God, "Infinite Mystery" if you will, is in the transcendent connection we as human beings have to each other and to the world we live in. I would agree that very expression of connection - offering ourselves to someone or something for the sake of relationship - is in fact love.
I have also learned that love can be found in spite of an unhealthy relationship as from one that is nurturing or inspiring, but only if we are willing to learn about who we are as individuals, our worth, our desires, and whether we are, in fact, deserving of love at all....love, God, relationship, individuality all intertwined in infinite mystery.