Love and Longing

Interrupted by Other Considerations

Hard to explain a lot of things. Why do we feel compelled to love what we do, who we do?

 

A lot of what and how and who we love makes sense. We love our parents because they create us and nurture us, and usually love us unconditionally, at least for a good amount of time. Others are not so lucky...

Some of us feel love and cared for by the divine, by a God, or gods, or the fates. We feel blessed, fortunate, lucky, and loved by our material, emotional, or tangential circumstances.

Some of us do not feel as much love; a lot of people suffer from loneliness or other mental or physical, social privations that lead us not to feel loved. Which could result in a downward spiral, where the love that one wants to feel towards others may be diminished by the love that one feels is not reciprocated by anyone else, or at least not from those who we wish to have it from.

Family can explain a lot, but this is not the only thing about love. There are many factors that make us feel love and appreciated, and others that do not. [Switched trains of thought here] . Recently I professed or proclaimed my faith and hope in Jesus online, and someone else  took that to be purposefully alienating, whereas to me and the person that I was responding to and sharing it with this statement was building on common beliefs and a shared love of a Being that we worship and adore; through the Son of God we try to truly and purely love and emulate Him, which is a great thing.

But, as pointed out while posting in a public forum online, this can be perceived as alienating or threatening to others. I do think that personal beliefs are good to share openly, but I understand when someone thinks that a declaration or testimony of Jesus may come across as potentially off putting and distracting. However, if that is the core of a person and their beliefs, why does that person get condemned for sharing? If it is a business forum, more understandably so.

 

If a devout Muslim were to share, "There is no god but God and Mohammad is His Prophet" in a public forum, should I take offense or feel alienated, persecuted by it? I don't think so. Whether I am Christian, secular, agnostic, or atheist.

 

If a devout Jewish person declares that "God is one, and the Creator of the Universe", is this reason to feel threatened? 

 

If a devout Hindu declares their love or affection for Krishna or Vishnu, do I take offense at this?

If a secular scientist states that there is no proof of divine beings or other supernatural evidence in the known universe, should I take umbrage? Some people, on all sides of the equation of belief, put much of their business, professionalism, livelihood, expertise, and time (whether paid or hobby, devotion or entertainment) to these things. The worlds of belief in a higher power and those not of it share out same world.

Is it offensive or alienating to share with each other? I think not.

I believe there is room for debate and co-existence.

Alas, I drifted from my original topic of love. And longing.

 

Love and longing. Love for putting things straight, or at minimum expressing things more clearly or honestly. Longing for justice, for satisfaction, for fulfillment.

But, there; I have put down some feelings. I feel like they are valid.

 

More on love and longing later... 

I got sidetracked. 

We are now over a third of the way through this month. Time marches on.

Longing for more? Sure...

And, loving it.

And there is always regret and remorse.

Those are real factors, too, when loving and longing.

Hope to share more later...