What the world needs now is Love….…
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
Lord, we don’t need another mountain
There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb
There are oceans and rivers enough to cross
Enough to last ’till the end of time
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some but for everyone
Well I think most of us must have heard this song back in the 60s(1965) lyrics above by Hal David and music by Burt Bacharach first recorded and sung by Jackie Deshannon. There are also tons of love songs since forever till now that we mght be familiar with! I like this one in particular because the lyrics point to the NOW……’what the world needs NOW is love sweet love!’…….it is saying nothing else matters right now but love,we don’t need anymore mountains to climb,there already are too many of them(,probably meaning too many other distractions enough to create more problems and messes in life).
Sitting in quiet contemplation,I see with the eye of my heart ……the subtle and horrendous suffering around the home vicinity,environment and the world! ….especially so I hear by word of mouth and self witnessing of people near and dear and those who are not ‘happy’ in/with life sitautions.My heart beats out in compassion for all………my own too!
What is most disheartening to witness and know of in truth is the uncaring,unfeeling,unloving,unfriendly attitudes of family members behaving towards each other! Most of us must have heard of this saying….’charity begins at home’,with loved ones and then from that unity goes out into the world.But how much do we see the truth of disharmony from the ‘home’……….extending outwards into the world!
What did Jesus say on love.…”but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who persecute you”
Similarly the Buddha also said.…”hatred is never appeased by hatred but by love alone,hatred is appeased”
So why I ask myself if these enlightened teachers of the past and present taught so eloquently and belovedly on love thousands of years before, how is it that there is still so much strife,hatred, fighting and animosity consistently encircling around and within us since time immemorial?Why is it so easy to be affected and influenced by negative habits and traits of others that it gets rubbed on upon us.The questions is why is it so hard to practice goodness and kindness and charity and concern for each other starting with ourselves first?
We see so much of the unhappy home,at the workplace, racism, anger and terrorism around the globe,’big fishes eating and taking advantage of the little ones’,bullying at schools,sexual abuse and slavery of children and adults,starvation and poverty strickened countries,power hungry and corrupt government,businesses/corporations as well as religious institutions,etc.etc.etc.We can even notice strangers along the streets,restaurants or in the shopping malls behaving inconsiderately,unattentively to each other,yes very prevalent is the phone devices in their hands,the immature cultivation of fantasy and fictional follies of the world…….even amongst loved ones,friends and close associates we act disrespectfully and brutishly…..…
We have the power to change the world and bring peace with the love we already are within us yet we go on proving otherwise,pretending to live superficially, recklessly, carelessly and ignorantly….allowing ourselves to be toyed with the ego-centric ways of the world………………
I sit and ponder in dismay…what is the world becoming to and whats to happen to the younger generation of kids, if adults don’t nourish themselves with love and flow into the direction of clear consciousness….how would they impart and teach their children by outpouring examples of the wonder and goodness of love?
Love is innately within each being, it needs to be put to the test, for us to face the fiercest of storms and come out afloat peacefully, lovingly forgivingly and without conditions,judgements,critical assessments of oneself and others……….we need to be tested in order to experience and witness the authencity of love.We need to empower ourselves with courage to move in the direction of positive actions to witness the love within us! ………..’actions speak louder than words!’
It is not easy to love and bless our enemies(which could be the ones as close as our spouses, lovers, children, friends,colleagues,etc..).
Just see how easy it is to get annoyed and snap back in defense at another and then a full blown tension erupts over trivial uncalled for matters leading to unecessary anger, resentments and ill-feelings………….where does all these agitation arise…if we could ponder here a little…..
Why do we feel it hard to love our enemies(those whom we feel have made or is making our lives miserable).To begin with, it might seem hard enough to feel love or embrace ourselves in compassion,when we feel inadequate, insecure,needing attention ourselves, protective and obsessed with that‘what belongs to me only’kind of attitude.So how then could/would we genuinely generate love for others,worse still,how to love those whom we think are the cause of our unecessary hardships and annoyances!
Why then, if all spiritual teachers/masters are saying that love lies inherent within us, why do we feel devoid of it and are hankering for it elsewhere,outside of ourselves?
If we don’t find time to be with ourselves and cherish that time alone to love and embrace ourselves in compassionate understanding and respect,how would/could we find time to be with others and care for them?
Love begins with the fearless ‘battle’ to look into our hearts and find it there!Love is never to be found outside of ourselves…………
