As humans in our society, we may have been raised to believe that for one person to win, someone has to lose.
We may have operated under the premise that there are finite resources and that when one entity has much, others will balance this by experiencing lack. This is known as a Zero-Sum Equation in mathematics or as a Zero-Sum Game in gaming. While these are phenomenon that are useful in those genres, we often times without realizing it coopt these ways of being into our life experience. Love, however, is not a Zero-Sum Equation. There is not a finite amount of love, so the Zero-Sum ideology does not apply.
When we are given the opportunity to love another, this does not take away the love we have for others or ourselves. Love is infinite in the same way the Universe is infinite. The unlimited nature of the Universe simply means it cannot be measured or contained. It is in our thinking that we imagine we are less than the divine and we then, unconsciously, imagine ourselves to be limited. The nature of love permeates everything and therefore everyone. We are not, in reality, bound by physical laws and are only restricted by that which we impose on ourselves. As members of a common community, we find ourselves loving in ways that are natural and representative of the oneness of the Universe.
If we take time to notice others around us and give up the idea that we can only love so much, we open ourselves to opportunities that were before, unimaginable. As we step outside of our areas of comfort and share ourselves with one another, we can realize the God that resides in each of us. Remembering that each of us are doing best that we can, even when this does not appear to be the case, we can relate to each other with insight and compassion. Empathy is not selfishness, but rather a way that we relate to someone else’s experience and feel love for them. As we open ourselves up to love, we can realize that loving does not cost us by having less love, rather we actually have more love. It is exponential and expanding in ways we that we may not immediately realize. A smile, a gesture of kindness, a conscious choice to let someone be themselves, can expand our life experience.
Don Henderson
Columbia CSL Board Member
