Love as Your Default

Since writing the Impossible Journey "How can he love so much?," I’ve been haunted by this concept of choosing love, especially when Yoda (my puppy, for the new folks) knocks over a glass on my leather trunk, chews on a wooden shelf, or commits some other puppy-like mischief. In the heat of the moment, my instincts seem to deploy an attack, where Yoda’s expression says, “Oops … sorry … okay, let’s play.”

Sure, love is a choice, but I wish it was the emotional default. Life would be immeasurably more enjoyable if gravity pulled us toward love instead of toward the wicked emotions to which humans often cling. With love as the default, arguments dissolve before they begin, petty bickering ceases to exist, and mankind experiences a level of joy and freedom beyond comprehension.

Anger, spite, dishonesty, and animosity are all imprisoning emotions that hinder our pursuit of happiness. And in the end, isn’t happiness what we really want? Despite this intellectual understanding, most of us frequently avoid surrendering to love. Why is it so hard to choose love, especially in moments of great upset?

The ego feeds off negative emotions. We engage in deceitful acts because the ego rewards us with the illusion of power and superiority. The seeds of these debilitating emotions seem rooted within us, but we control whether or not these seeds are nourished. When negative thought-harvesting goes unimpeded, weakening emotions grow like weeds.

According to many of the Great Traditions, the most direct pathway to God is through the heart. While most other paths can be taught, the Way through the heart cannot be communicated. Yet we experience glimpses of heartfelt love all the time: A mother cradling her newborn baby, two old friends reuniting after a long time apart, and yes, a dog wagging his tail.

Every time we yell, bicker, or fight, we unknowingly choose a path other than love. And when we engage this precipitous action, we detract from our experience—in that moment (and usually many subsequent moments), happiness eludes us. In choosing to attack, we cast away the love and joy we so desperately seek. When one loves unconditionally, there’s no filter and no decisions to make regarding when to love … you just love. Is this degree of Divine love only to be assigned to saints like Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi? As mere mortals, can we not also elevate to this level of perpetual bliss?

Establishing love as your automatic trigger emotion will transform your Journey. Consciously and genuinely choose love for seven days and observe what happens to your level of joy. The challenge for most of us is that we are so conditioned to move away from love that choosing love isn’t so easy, but with Yoda as our guide, I say we go for it!

Happy Journeys!
Scott Jeffrey