LOVE WORKS DAILY 01/11/07 - Loving You To Death

LOVE WORKS DAILY 01/11/07 - Loving You To Death

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and filled with the infinity that is love and thecapacity to give and receive it freely today!

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INSPIRATIONAL MOMENT:(Great Thoughts By History's Inspired Thinking Men and Women)

Transient is this world; like phantoms and dreams,Substance it has none. Grasp not the world nor your kin;Cut the strings of lust and hatred; meditate in woods and mountains.
-Tilopa, "The Song of Mahamudra"

TIM's BLOG (Random Thoughts and Tim's Daily World):

Happy Thursday all! I'm combining my blog entry with myregular LOVE WORKS message today....
I was in a real "say it like I see it" mood today...sodon't unsubscribe cause you don't agree with a certainpoint. I had alot of ground to cover and tried to doit with an economy of words.
So some it sound like..."That's how it is"
The truth is, I don't have the answers and have avoidedthis topic for quite a while for just that reason.
But as someone said..."If you don't stand for something..."
I think that when asked "is KILLING loving?" mu answer isan emphatic MAYBE!
Sometimes I KNOW it is not...other times it is in a grey area...other times, I would be almost cerain killing is a very lovingact.
So here goes...Love & Death...hand in hand...or hand to hand?

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: (Brand New and Classic Love Works Essays 2001-2007)

There are a limited number of ways that you can kill.
The are infinite number of ways you can love.
Do they ever cross over?
That is what I am going to examine in today's Love Works.
First off, I believe that killing, in any form, should beavoided at all cost. Bringing the end of another life isa serious thing. Whether you believe it to be a mortal sin,or just bad Karma, when you kill, it is permenant.
So let me look at the different types of killing, and let you know my thoughts on a number of reasons that peoplekill.

FOOD
I would kill for food only with great reverence and respect and gratitude, and only kill for food when required to survive orstay healthy.
I think that overall, this is the most common form of killing.Killing plants and animals to eat them. In my mind, althoughstill killing, the most justifiable of all killing.
After all. We were created carnivores and herbivores. Maybe evensome omnivores.
I personally eat as little meat as I can to stay healthy, butfind a that a diet without meat leaves me weak and sick. I havenot been able to compensate and live a purely vegetarian life.Some people do, and have, but not me.
I do take eating meat very seriously, and do not waste meatin general, as I am aware that the ultimate sacrifice was madefor me to eat it. (I think we forget it when it comes pre-packaged,or on a bun.)

SURVIVAL
I would kill to survive, if and only if, MY survival somehowserves the greater good.
How I take this is....sometimes saving yourself at the expenseof a dozen others...doesn't really equate to love.
For me, it's the "take a bullet" test. I would protect myselfand maybe kill to save my own life, unless saving someone elsewould be more loving. For example, I would step in front ofa bullet for my child, or parent. Maybe even for a stranger.
But sometimes doing that would leave your children without a father. So SURVIVING, even if it means killing the attacker,might be most loving.
In a way, this is playing GOD, but until you are faced with ityou do not know.
I do know I would give up my life for another...and I mayeven end another life to save one...or many....
in the name of love.

PROTECTION
Kill to protect the innocent, but only when there isabsolutely no other way.
Pretty straight forward on this one. There are thousandsof people every day who's job it is to protect you from harm,and they risk their own live to do so.
I could kill, and do so lovingly, to protect my loved onesor even strangers from being tortured, abused or murdered.

MERCY
In some cases, killing to end the misery of others isjustified and loving.
This takes into play euthenasia and the ending of animal liveswhen the pain and suffering from an incurable disease is beyond thepoint of being humane to allow it to continue.
In the case of humans, it is often not legal. I believe that it should be when the person in right and healthy mind has requestedsuch thing be done in the event of such circumstances.
(as a side note, although I believe that to take your ownlife in most cases is the ultimate SELFISH and HARMFUL act,I also can see a time and place where it would be end yourown suffering and those around you, and MAYBE an OK thing...lovingand merciful. I think having suicide be ILLEGAL is ridiculous. Who do theyarrest.? The unsuccessful.)

ABORTION
Abortion is murder. That's just were I stand on it. But sometimes it is unavoidable, but not for "convenience"sake.
Yes, there are lots of good cases for abortion. Especially when the lives of the unborn or the mother are at stake.I don't know WHO should decide...or what the answer is...But I strongly believe that "I don't want a baby right now"is not a good reason....Unfortunately, I believe a largeamount of abortions happen to make life easier.
Easier for everyone except the unborn..or...the woman whohad never been able to have a child who is just waiting toadopt it.
Big topic. Yes, I believe in choice. No, I don't think itshould be illegal.
I DO believe it is wrong in the vast majority of cases. Thinkabout it ALOT before you consider it. I know you will think aboutit ALOT after you do it, and for the rest of your life.

ACTS OF PASSION
Sometimes justified by law. Always murder. If you have got yourselfso caught up in another person that you would murder themrather than allow them to be with another. (Or murder theone cheating with them). You do not need to own a gun, youneed to seek professional help. Acts of passion are not love,they are actions brought out by a unwell state of mind (and waytoo much attachment to the object of your passion.)

VENGEANCE/CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
I can see not way that vengeance can be loving. It is selfishand self motivated, and in the case of executions (in the nameof loving the people of a society and wanting to protect themfrom criminals), I think it is a lame excuse to keeppeople from doing the tough things....like spending thetime, resources, and courage to actually protect peoplefrom these criminals.
These criminals can still be helpful in society...even ifit is making license plates.
Killing them is the quick and easy way out.

ASSASINATION
Show me one time that making a martyr of one that is assasinatedis loving. Some say we should have assassinated Saddam. Even by hanging him, we've made him a hero to many...and proved nothing.
There is no love in assassination.

TERRORISM / RELIGIOUS FANATICISM
Mass death and terror. Sometimes in the name of God and religion.Who do these people think they are kidding?
Read the Bible...the Qu'ran....the Sutras ...
I have. And I have never found a place that says thatGod authorized blowing up buildings or airplanes oranything.
If anything...more often than not it say...Lay don't yoursword, and turn the other cheak.
This is a no-brainer. I can never see Terrorism asLOVE.
And..yes...Christians have done it...more than once in history..
So it's not just the "other guys".

WAR
Maybe a war on poverty or sickness......
But a war about oil....or land...or politics....?
Here's my favorite.
The current regime does not have a good civil rights policyand is causing death in their own country.
So let's go and bomb them.
I've never seen how war does anything but promote violence,fear and hatred.
Yes, there are circumstances when participating in warmeans protection and survival and is unavoidable, but don't you think we are advanced enough to do something otherthan kill each other to sold conflicts and divide up resources.

Well, that's it...my take on Killing in the name of love...I'm not usually quite this blunt.
But I get sick and tired of always reading about deathand killing as the way to solve problems.
We all have to face killing sometimes...to relieve suffering,to protect ourself or others, even to survive.....
But that's where it ends for me...
Is it cut and dry...no?
Do I have all the answers...no?
Am I an strong advocate against killing unless absolutelyneeded...yes....
Love will never die....
And people need not die for no reason either..if we couldgrow up enough as a species to find another way.
How bout deciding who wins over a game of chess?Or a game of golf?
My 12 year old thinks it might work.
I'm hoping he's in charge of things next generation, and I'm aliveto see it all come to an end.


Love In Thought! Love In Word! Love In Action!
Love To You Today!

"May we endeavor today to increase our understanding and appreciation of what others have given and contributed to us. And develop constant, mindful consideration of how our thoughts and actions will BENIFICIALLYCONTRIBUTE to others"
The best to you today in discovering the answers to life's difficult questions!

A Final Thought:
Love is always the right thing to do. Even if it isn't the easiest thing to do.
May we have compassion for the struggles of others, wisdom to acknowledge our own, and courage to address them both every day.
Respectfully,Tim

This is a daily newsletter of LOVE WORKS DAILY:A collective of individuals of different beliefs andbackgrounds, dedicated to a better world by living LOVE in thought,word and action. Compassion. Wisdom. Courage.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Peace be with you.
(c)2007 T.Thomas Henry