Aspiration

Is it possible to evolve to a point at which one can give freely, without need or desire for reciprocation or appreciation? Most days, we are so close; we do what we do, with joy in our hearts, purely for the pleasure of knowing that we have made another's life a wee bit better somehow.  And that is enough.

Every now and then, though, we realize that we have given away a great many tiny pieces of ourselves. We feel fragile, exhausted, in need. Our reservoirs are empty, and we wish to be filled.  We yearn to reach out our hands to others, and yet are afraid to do so. In our fear, we become angry at ourselves for our wants and desires. We should be able to fulfill ourselves; why can it not be so?  It is a blessing and a curse of humanity: the need for others.

It is a mystery.

We try to be as the rocks are, shaped by sand and rain and wind. We shade those around us from the glare of the sun, and provide a place to momentarily call Home. And, when night falls, we reach towards our stars.

When you have reached the point where you no longer expect a response, you will at last be able to give in such a way that the other is able to receive, and be grateful. When Love has matured and, through a dissolution of the self into light, become a radiance, then shall the Lover be liberated from dependence upon the Beloved, and the Beloved also be made perfect by being liberated from the Lover. ― Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings