“There is a loneliness in this world so great that you can see it in the slow movement of the hands of a clock” 
― Charles Bukowski

I hear quite a bit of advice.  Some people have an Aha moment, and feel compelled to share it in the form of words of encouragement.  One bit that is shared often is this: Love Yourself.   While this is no doubt well intentioned,  it actually makes someone who has this challenge feel worse for they don’t know how to accomplish the task, which in turn creates more self-loathing.  “Why can’t I love myself more!”  You might as well tell a blind man that he should go look at a Van Gogh painting.   I look at this image and am filled with awe, beauty, and the touch of God.  I can even share my rapturous feelings with a man who can not see, but it does not do him much good.  I can only imagine the feelings of frustration, regret and downright anger that arise.  It does not work.

“With love you don’t bargain. There, the choice is not yours. Love is a mirror, it reflects only your essence, if you have the courage to look in its face. ”  

– Rumi

Love is the law.  Love is the truth.  Love can be as harsh as it can be beautiful.  Therefore, it takes courage to look at your essence,  for you, at your core, are love.  It takes courage to begin the process of knowing yourself.  It is easy to look and see all the good stuff.  The trick is to look at the dark stuff, come to terms with it, appreciate it, and rather than pretend it does not exist, integrate it into your being.   I have discovered that I am competitive.  I relish the thought of winning and another losing.  I have rage and anger and impatience that live within me.  I have the capacity to kill.  These are just some of the components of my dark side.  It is my journey to discover these aspects of myself and come to a place of acceptance.  In order to truly experience authentic love of any kind, this has to happen.  Otherwise my love is a partial love, a pretend love , the kind of love bandied about in silly love songs.  It wears off and does not stand the test of time.   Since our love is incomplete, we look outside of ourselves for more.  And so we have a culture that celebrates finding love in another.  We hear expression like “You complete me.”   What we thought was love wears off and families are broken into pieces.  If only more looked within wherein lies all the answers.

So where do you start?   The elixir is in the poison.  You dive into the hurt.  I have never met a human being that did not have some feelings of self-loathing.  Often it is self loathing, like the pain from a persistent pebble in our shoe, that awakens us to action. It’s the discomfort that creates the yearning for something greater. It’s only in the acquisition of self-knowledge that we begin to appreciate the brilliance of our human condition. It’s this appreciation for the universal condition of all beings that begins to look like self-love.  But it is not self-love.  It is love.  As the Bukowski quote indicates, many suffer from loneliness, or a feeling of being uncomfortable in the present moment without the company of another person.  However, once one begins to experience love, time spent alone transforms into a panoply of experiences, rich and full of joy and inner contentment.

“I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.”  ― Pablo Neruda

Love is not something you direct at yourself or at a chosen other. Love is a state of being, a place you come from in every moment of your life. In fact, the idea of loving just yourself or just another, will upon ruthless examination, seem non-sensical.   When you arrive in life at where you started in life, love is everywhere, like the constant beat of life in your heart.  I love you.  This is true.  I love me too.  You is me.  Me is you.  If you want to feel the real deal, you have to do the heavy lifting.  Invest time into knowing yourself and into understanding who you are through and through.   It is as simple as writing your name on a piece of paper, then write “Light Side” on the top left and “Dark Side” on the top right, and begin writing.  It’s OK to admit to all aspects of yourself, especially to yourself.  You will be surprised at the catharsis that occurs when you undertake this simple little process.

This love, the great love, the golden love, is available right now.  It is in the air we all  breath.  It is in the sunlight that warms your skin.  It is in the tone of your friend’s voice.  It is in your lover’s breath.  You don’t need to look for it, for it can’t be found.  Life calls upon each of us to dive deep within our own being, and in so doing, we begin to clean the lens of our perception.  The love is here, more love than we can imagine, the kind of love that has obsessed poets like Neruda and Bukowski and Rumi for lifetimes.  It is so powerful, and can be so overwhelming, that we often lean back towards what is comfortable, and socially accepted, while the keys to the kingdom of heaven slip out of our hands.   Can’t you taste it?  Are you ready to undertake the hero’s quest to unearth the grail?  Grab my hand and let’s jump into the abyss.

About the Author

Jay Cradeur is an author, blogger, internet marketer, world traveler, and coach. Jay has helped thousands to achieve their dreams of financial independence. As an internet marketing coach with a focus on personal development, Jay may be able to assist you in reaching your goals. You can work with Jay for a 100% refundable fee of $49 by clicking on this link and committing to your future. Work with Coach Jay.