Safeguarding the Heart, take two.

So as a follow up to my previous post, my thoughts.

Don't hurt other people. Period. Be careful with other people's hearts. That has been the overarching lesson of my life over the last 6 months or so. First it was the very frank conversation a friend of mine who liked me who I didn't like back had with me, telling me that in those situations I sometimes lack compassion. Oh man, it was like a knife to the chest when he said that. The last thing I'd ever want to be in my life is heartless! I thought about it a lot and realized I'd always justified being a little icy towards guys who liked me who I didn't feel the same way about by assuming that I was ultimately doing them a favor by not leading them on. But once he called me on it--the first person to ever do that--I realized it was true. And that there is no caveat in any of the sacred scriptures about being kind to people. "Show forth kindness...unless you want to avoid leading someone on..." etc.

So that was the first realization. The second had to do with friendships in general and how we can say things that are so insensitive and hurtful in the name of criticism or helping each other out. But, why should we do that? I used to be someone who gave advice so freely but even that is something I'm learning to cut back on. I've realized that a huge part of being human is having limited perception and sometimes even the most well-intentioned advice or constructive criticism can be faulty. I'm really trying to work more on just loving people and encouraging them in their strong points and trying to build on points of strength rather than dwell on weaknesses. It's for each person to weed out his or her own faults and I trust that God will provide all of us with avenues of recognizing what those are. Besides, it just makes our own flaws that much more apparent when we point out one another's!

At the end of the day we have to be sooo careful with each other's hearts. And even if we're on the receiving end of insult and injury we cannot allow ourselves to reciprocate.  Love. The reason for our creation. The force that binds together the atoms. It really does all boil down to love--as trite as that may sound.

Love is the mystery of divine revelations!
Love is the effulgent manifestation!
Love is the spiritual fulfillment!
Love is the light of the Kingdom!
Love is the breath of the Holy Spirit inspired into the human spirit!
Love is the cause of the manifestation of the Truth (God) in the phenomenal world!
Love is the necessary tie proceeding from the realities of things through divine creation!
Love is the means of the most great happiness in both the material and spiritual worlds!
Love is a light of guidance in the dark night!
Love is a bond between the Creator and the creature in the inner world!
Love is the cause of development to every enlightened man!
Love is the greatest law in this vast universe of God!
Love is the one law which causeth and controlleth order among the existing atoms!
Love is the universal magnetic power between the planets and stars shining in the lofty firmament!

-'Abdu'l-Baha