A few months ago, a friend and fellow seeker of Truth raised the subject of unconditional love during lunch at a local Mexican food restaurant. I don’t know what it is about Mexican food that seems to inspire metaphysical discussions, but in my experience, it does. Or maybe it’s the margaritas. Whatever. Anyway, somehow the subject of unconditional love came up over the chips and salsa, and after a respectable amount of time spent pondering the subject, my friend and I came to a very important conclusion. We concluded that we needed another bowl of chips. And eventually, we came to a conclusion about unconditional love.
Unconditional love is a beautiful concept. We all want to get it, and many people believe they should be able to give it. But for most humans in this timeline, unconditional love - received or given - is an unachievable goal. This may not be a concern for those of us pedaling as fast as we can simply to keep body and soul together. Or for those individuals who don’t have unreasonably high self-expectations. But for anyone engaged in a serious metaphysical examination of themselves and the Universe, the idea of unconditional love can’t be avoided. Nearly every session with spirit guides or ascended masters concludes with the exhortation to bless those who persecute us, turn the other cheek and love unconditionally. It seems that for those who aspire to spiritual growth and enlightenment, the ability to love unconditionally is a prerequisite. And a source of frustration. My friend had the audacity and honesty to declare her belief that unconditional love is impossible. And I concurred. I know, I know, for seekers of Truth, that's heresy. So be it.
Some may teach the concept of unconditional love, but you can bet that few achieve it. Even our spiritual betters have trouble with it. According to the Bible, Jesus, in his physical incarnation, taught unconditional love. But he knew none of us could do it, so he forgave us all in advance, gave up the ghost and went home. The Quran teaches that Allah loves only the righteous. So there's no unconditional love from the god of Islam. What about Angels? They seem so loving, but basically they are messengers, servants and hired thugs. They may be able to walk through walls, but they don't love unconditionally either. Greek, Roman and pagan dieties, by Jove? δεν, non and not with a ten-foot pole.
Some people think Buddha taught unconditional love. Not so. What they are thinking about is compassion, which is often confused with love. Buddha did teach that compassion is necessary for enlightenment. But compassion, as he saw it, isn’t the same as human love, unconditional or otherwise. Buddha's compassion is the desire to alleviate suffering wherever it appears. Love doesn’t need to be involved at all - only action. What about Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi, you may ask? Both had compassion, strength of will and super-human physical stamina. But unconditional love? Being clothed in the same cloth as the rest of us, I think not. Spirit guides and ascended masters are the only beings who seem capable of pulling off unconditional love. And they don't live here.
Some people think Buddha taught unconditional love. Not so. What they are thinking about is compassion, which is often confused with love. Buddha did teach that compassion is necessary for enlightenment. But compassion, as he saw it, isn’t the same as human love, unconditional or otherwise. Buddha's compassion is the desire to alleviate suffering wherever it appears. Love doesn’t need to be involved at all - only action. What about Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi, you may ask? Both had compassion, strength of will and super-human physical stamina. But unconditional love? Being clothed in the same cloth as the rest of us, I think not. Spirit guides and ascended masters are the only beings who seem capable of pulling off unconditional love. And they don't live here.
Aren’t parents supposed to love their children unconditionally? Wouldn’t that be nice. Unfortunately, parents are only human, and again, the answer is No. Trust me, the Universe doesn’t require us to love our offspring, parents, spouses, friends or gods without condition. We are, after all, merely naked apes scrambling up the ladder toward the sweet, ripe bananas at the top. Try as we might, we are limited by ourselves and the ladder.
On this side of the veil, unconditional love is a lot like the perfect pie crust. You can try every recipe in your cookbook, take classes as Le Cordon Bleu, or use Pillsbury’s best, but don’t be surprised when the perfect pastry doesn’t manifest. It’s an unattainable goal – just like unconditional love.
So if unconditional love is impossible to achieve, why the metaphysical exhortations from religious teachers and inhabitants of the higher planes? Well, that depends on who you think our spiritual betters are and their agendas. If you believe that they are beneficent beings with humanity’s best interest at heart, then you probably think they are doing it to give us something to strive for. A level of higher consciousness to aspire to. (Like we don’t already have enough on Earth to keep us busy.) If you think they are super-human beings who enjoy setting impossible goals for the occupants of this physical realm and enjoy watching us fail, then you are probably resistant to all pronouncements from on high, including to love unconditionally. And if you don’t care one way or another, then you probably think it's just a load of metaphysical mumbo-jumbo and have better things to do.
Me? Well, I’ve already stated my position on the subject. But lest I sound like a bitter, hateful naked ape, let me say that I’m part of the group who believes our spiritual higher-ups give us the goal of unconditional love as a boost up the ladder toward the ultimate banana (otherwise known as pie in the sky or heaven). They don't actually expect us to get there, but they do expect us to try. I don't know what's awaiting us there, but I think unconditional love will be somewhere in the room. If we really make an effort to care about our fellow inhabitants of this beautiful blue zoo, whether we grab the magic bananas or not really doesn’t matter. Our everyday efforts in this direction make life more palatable - and maybe even enjoyable - and that's what matters. Unconditional love is so delicious that all we need is just a little taste now and then to make life here worthwhile. And every one of us can pull that off on occasion.
So if sometimes you find it impossible to dredge up more than a modicum of affection for your offspring, parent, spouse or god, don’t worry about it. Just keep working your way up the ladder with as much kindness and patience as you can muster at the time. There are sweet, ripe bananas all along the way and all the unconditional love you can stomach at the top.
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