On Loving Your Neighbor

A friend once told me about her priest who said that while the Christ says you should love your neighbor like yourself, in his experience there are some neighbors that you should love from a distance. Of course I understood his point, but somehow it didn't feel right when I heard it. Today I understand why. Walking the Tao is quite a different experience. Along the Tao you face anyone and everything that comes into your life. Walking the Tao is not about what should be, it is about reacting to the situation that presents itself.

Perhaps different from the Christian way you would never run after anyone either.You wouldn't try to convert anyone to experience the world you do. How could you? The Tao can be perceived but hardly be described. Walking the Tao is not about what you think or want to do, it is about reacting to the environment that presents itself. Everyone who is approaching you is meaningful. This is not a dogma but a trusted event that keeps on repeating itself.

Along the Way you learn that your perceived "foe" is as helpful in steering you in the right direction as your best friend. So why then would you call him your foe? And when you realize that the struggling guy next door is driven by exactly the same stuff that is bubbling under your hood, why would it be hard for you to show him your compassion? Along the Tao there is no good or bad, just stuff that makes perfect sense to you when you experience it.

Love is a present of God; it is the natural state we experience when all the interferences are cleared away. The Tao does that for you. There is no philosophy, no religion, no embellishment needed. You can love your neighbor just as you love your children and yourself. Only one requirement is needed, you have to show up for life and you have to be willing to face the picture you see in the mirror. Learn to fall in love with life and you will recognize the Christ walking next to you soon enough.