Each person contains some good thing, some part of them which provides others with a benefit, provides themselves with a positive direction. I would imagine that if you found and focused on this positive aspect, you would be able to forgive the "faults" the person contains as well. And isn't this a main part of love, to accept another regardless of their imperfections?

That was were I was going with it.
An unconditional love; wouldn't that be an important step in the pursuit of enlightenment?

I've been pondering and experiencing this lately. Though I'd like to inject another thought here... I'm not sure if it is right to just love the good part of a person, or to love them unconditionally in the sense of 'I love you despite your flaws'.

A more complete feeling comes from realising you love someone BECAUSE of their flaws. It is the flaws and imperfections that make us human, and the love for living breathing humans is perhaps somewhat different to the more distant love/attachment of concepts, gods etc...?

That's a subtle difference, and I don't think it's right, either. Love should just be, beyond the flaws and qualities, I believe.

I think it might depend what kind of love you're talking about, a more distant/abstract/appreciative one or one which is visceral and full of experience. People love Jesus as god but how many loved him also as a man? I quite like the greek way of referring to erors, agape, philia though I'm not sure if I'd use those definitions per se. Like anyone else I don't pretend to have the answer to this subject but it is good think about!

I don't think it's a subtle difference. People talk a lot about "forgiveness" and loving someone anyway - but for me, that's just denying them part of their humanity. I think the core of love has got to be to do with open-eyed acceptance for everything that person is at that time. I also don't think love has to be kept seperate from flaws/qualities - because if you take that away, what is left? perhaps some divine spark but surely the grittiness of humanity is worth some love as well?

nb - I'm not getting riled here, just enjoying a bit of debate/discussion. I have no problems with criticism. :-)

Well, actually, since I mentioned 'agape' in my post, do you want to reconsider that a little? :) My ideas probably resonate with yours more than you think.

what then, is meant by unconditional love? Is it, seeing an ideal/eternal person in someone no matter what else is in the way, or is it seeing everything they embody now and loving it all, even the painful nasty dirty parts?
And more importantly, how would you go about feeling it, in the face of a lot of angry difficult people?

I enjoyed your original post and would love to hear more of your thoughts :)

Something that akurei_kami wrote is interesting. He refers to love as a living entity. I don't know if I agree; I haven't thought about this long enough... But what I do agree with is that love, this kind of love, is separate from whoever is in front of you. As far as angry difficult people, think about Mahatmah Ghandi.

Let's go back to the Tao for a second. When you practice wu wei (non-action, or the effortless action, the spontaneous action), I think it is pretty hard to feel anything but a sort of love for people.

When you have a complete and thorough understanding of people, and you do not judge at all, I believe that you have no choice but to love people... At least, that's my current understanding.

>Something that akurei_kami wrote is interesting. He refers to love as a living entity

I didn't read his post but from that snippet, I agree. I feel love, especially agape has nothing to do w/ the other person or people...al about how one sees things.

Is love then selective. Can I love one person and not another? I don't think so. I think I can be filled by love, or possessed by love, and when I am, all is beautiful in the world and I love everyone and everything. But I personally do not think I can obtain love or possess it. If I did I think it would go against everything love is and would in turn push love to leave me. I believe love is a living entity that wants to permeate every cell in my body. When I am wrapped up in anger and tension and such, it prevents love from entering me. I believe love is the universal intelligence and is the source of all creation.

I do, like you mentioned, believe that every human being has at least one cell that has love in it.

what you say here matches very well with my experience of love - that it is somehow something 'outside' your being but can fill it and flow through you and outwards. This is different to the kind of grasping love that happens when you try and pull a person's life into you because they have something you need(?)

I tried to write about this a little more here, but you have expressed it much more eloquently :)

oo, you're on livejournal too?

very interesting, by the way

~Tracey

Hmm... Where else am I? I have to admit that I can't think of many Traceys that I know.

myspace, haha

I, er, ?
Have we friended each other? Now I'm confused... Help me out ;)