Daily Meditation-February 23, 2022-Become the Path Yourself
Today’s Quotation:
At any rate, I might pursue some path, however solitary and narrow and crooked, in which I could walk with love and reverence.
Henry David Thoreau
Today’s Meditation:
When we walk in love and reverence, it certainly can lead us down some very lonely roads. Are we willing to face the isolation and solitude that almost certainly result from such a focus, or does our unwillingness to set ourselves a standard and stick to it keep us from always walking in love and reverence?
Can you imagine what our lives would be like if our focus always was on loving other human beings and ourselves and revering all that exists on this beautiful planet of ours? I know that in my life, the times when I’m able to be clearly conscious of the love that surrounds me are among the brightest, most spectacular times that I experience. The times are not nearly as bright when my focus is on worrying about money, thinking about tedious or annoying aspects of work or my day-to-day life, or on similar things.
Many people fill their lives with information and obligations, or spend their focus on television shows or other types of entertainment. When my focus is on the performances of American Idol contestants or on the way a co-worker gossips about everyone else, then my mind is on those things almost exclusively at any given moment. But if I make a conscious effort to keep my focus on love, I may not be able to take part in conversations about last night’s episode or sharing my displeasure about my co-worker. I may feel very solitary and lonely if I’m not able to discuss my own journey following the path of love, because others just may not understand where I’m coming from.
But when we keep in mind that we are eternal beings, it becomes clear that the more eternal aspects of life are much more important for us to develop–our love and spirituality and reverence will last much longer and be much more important than our retained information or fleeting feelings.
Questions to ponder:
1. What does it mean to you to “walk with love and reverence”?
2. What kinds of things keep us from focusing on love?
3. How might we develop our ability to keep our minds and hearts focused on love and reverence?
For further thought:
You cannot tread the Path before you become the Path yourself.
Zen saying
Credit: Living Life Fully
