Hi,
How are you?
Our first post is not about healthy food, rejuvenation or special programs. It is about LOVE.
When we decided that we need to write something about love, Dr. Liana Nenacheva, our main therapist and the holistic director of Svarga Loka Wellbeing Center came across this article, that was written (or told) by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh (1914-2003), who was a monk and Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church, founder, bishop – then archbishop, then metropolitan of the Diocese of Sourozh, the Patriarchate of Moscow’s diocese for Great Britain and Ireland (the name ‘Sourozh’ is the historical episcopal name of Sudak City, in the Crimea). Neither me, nor Dr. Liana are religious. We both believe in the Universe, Divine Energy, Creator – this Supreme Intelligence that has been always existing and is the source of life on this planet. You can call it Nature, God, Energy, Father, Mother, whatever. It is something beyond our language and understanding. IT JUST IS. There have been a lot of people, who belong to different religious groups/belief systems, who have contributed a lot to the ‘world’s bank of knowledge’, so Liana decided, that instead of citing her, we need to share this wonderful piece of human wisdom with you (I am translating it for you from Russian).
‘We think that we know, what is love and we know how to love. In fact, most of the time we know only how to enjoy our relationships. We think that we love someone, because we have a nice, tender feelings towards this person, but love is something bigger, more demanding and sometimes even tragic.
Love has three sides.
First of all, the one who loves is the one who wants to give. But if one wants to give unconditionally, without hurting others, one has to learn how to give. Most of the time we give, not in the name of love, unconditional, true, generous love, but because when we give, we feel significant and it makes us feel good about ourselves. For us giving is one of the ways to gain self-confidence, to prove either to ourselves and to other people that we are important. However, to receive on such terms is very painful. Love can only give when it forgets about itself.
You have to know how to give. However, sometimes to receive is even harder than to give. We all know, how painful it can be – receiving something from or being treated nicely by someone you do not respect, do not love. We feel disgust,indignity or even offence. It is very obvious with kids. When they receive a present or a treat from someone they do not like, do not trust and do not believe in their love and good intentions, they want to destroy or break it, because it offends them on the deepest level of their soul. In order to be able to give and receive, you have to love unconditionally. St. Vincent de Paul (1581 – 1660), a French Roman Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor, once said whilst instructing one of his nuns: ‘Remember, you will require all the love your heart is able to feel, so others could forgive you for all the good deeds you are going to do’.
Whereas we can find joy and pleasure in giving and receiving, there is another side of love we always forget – SACRIFICE. We are not talking about this type of sacrifice, when one is ready to work for someone, depriving himself/herself from something, in order to satisfy this person. The sacrifice I am talking about is stronger and connected with something deep inside. It is a type of sacrifice when, you are ready to step aside in the name of love. And it is very important. Sometimes when the two love each other deeply, a husband and a wife, their love if full of joy, pleasure, tenderness. But then one of them become jealous, but not of someone else, who can destroy their relationship, but of the past. Friends can stop being friends because they also cannot forget the past.
Those who love so blindly and so silly, want to believe that the life of their beloved ones starts only when they meet, and all the memories, richness of their past experience are seen as threat: something else lives is the soul and the heart of their beloved one… This approach is dangerous: we cannot start over with the blank page, we cannot start living at the moment we meet our love, even if this moment is so wonderful. We can only live from the beginning of our lives. And the one who loves tenderly, unconditionally and fully ought to accept the mystery of the other person’s past, keep it secret and accept the fact that there were relationships and experiences in the life of their beloved one, that they can never be a part of. This is where FAITH begins: when someone has faith not only in God, but in someone they love’.
We hope that you liked this message from Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh, one of the most prominent and kind-hearted religious leaders in the Russian history. We also hope that you understand and feel that LOVE is always within you. YOU ARE LOVE!
Stay happy, healthy and loved,
Dinara,
Happiness Manager
Living Wisdom Academy
