Love, the preferred lens.

Love, the preferred lens.

I'm prepared to go out on a limb here and say, Love is the best way to see the world. It is the most incredible lens available to any of us through which to experience the world we live upon, and the one that we create with our own thoughts, words and actions.

I would note also that this is not a new idea by any means. The Beatles sang about it in the 1960's through popular music. 'Love is all you need'. Many musical bands have echoed it's power in the themes of so many songs. One of my favourites is 'The power of Love', by Frankie goes to Hollywood.

There is even a well known phrase that says, 'looking at the world through rose coloured glasses', which is all about lenses and how they can alter the way we see what is before us. Then is it any wonder that the world we live in is often coloured, themed, or even created by the lens we choose to look at it with?

If love was all there is, I believe the world generally would be a fairer and more honest place. I have reason to withhold claims of absolutes here, hence why I say 'more'. I feel sure that where love is engaged, as in the case of someone like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dr. Martin Luther King, John Lennon and Malala Yousafzai, then the most amazing transformations will occur in public awareness. Who would argue these peoples having affected the world around them by that love, compassion, empathy and dedication to pursue their life's work with gusto? Malala is still a young woman in her teens, and yet it can be seen in her eyes, the love by which she creates the world she wishes to be a part of.

Let's take a quick look at what love is defined as in the dictionary. (Collins Online)

(Please scan the Dictionary entries and hurry past if you wish to read the article more quickly. They are entered as a tool for reference mainly, for people who may not have access to quick reference places, and not to patronize anyone)

love (lʌv ) 

Definitions

verb

1. tr to have a great attachment to and affection for
2. tr to have passionate desire, longing, and feelings for
3. tr to like or desire (to do something) very much
4. tr to make love to
5. intr to be in love

noun

1. an intense emotion of affection, warmth, fondness, and regard towards a person or thing
2. (as modifier) ⇒ love song, love story
7. a deep feeling of sexual attraction and desire
8. wholehearted liking for or pleasure in something
9. (Christianity)
   1. God's benevolent attitude towards man
   2. man's attitude of reverent devotion towards God
10. Also: my love. a beloved person: used esp as an endearment
11. (British, informal) a term of address, esp but not necessarily for a person regarded as likable
12. (in tennis, squash, etc) a score of zero
13. See fall in love
14. See for love
15. See for love or money
16. See for the love of
17. See in love
18. See make love

related adjective

amatory

Word Origin

Old English lufu; related to Old High German luba; compare also Latin libēre (originally lubēre) to please

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= adore, care for, treasure, cherish, prize, worship, be devoted to, be attached to, be in love with, dote on, hold dear, think the world of, idolize, feel affection for, have affection for, adulate, LUV,

= enjoy, like, desire, fancy, appreciate, relish, delight in, savour, take pleasure in, have a soft spot for, be partial to, have a weakness for, LUV,

= cuddle, neck, kiss, pet, embrace, caress, fondle, LUV, canoodle

= passion, liking, regard, friendship, affection, warmth, attachment, intimacy, devotion, tenderness, fondness, rapture, adulation, adoration, infatuation, ardour, endearment, aroha, amity, LUV,

= liking, taste, delight in, bent for, weakness for, relish for, enjoyment, devotion to, penchant for, inclination for, zest for, fondness for, soft spot for, partiality to, LUV

= beloved, dear, dearest, sweet, lover, angel, darling, honey, loved one, sweetheart, truelove, dear one, leman, inamorata or inamorato, LUV,

= sympathy, understanding, heart, charity, pity, humanity, warmth, mercy, compassion, sorrow, kindness, tenderness, friendliness, condolence, commiseration, fellow feeling, soft-heartedness, tender-heartedness, aroha, LUV

= greetings, regards, compliments, best wishes, good wishes, kind regards, LUV

Maybe it's no surprise then, that with so much affection, heart, endearment, humanity, warmth, compassion, fellow feeling, tenderness and fondness, that the world would be considered a lovely place to be. Is this not the way you see the world? Is there another reality in place that negates this view of the world around us? 

 

Arguably the world is not a very nice place to be at the moment. Or indeed for a very long time in history. Certainly not one that can be thoroughly described in the above terms. War has been a constant feature of every decade in our history to date, at least in some part of the globe. Atrocities are rife, people live in fear and concern for the well-being of their loved ones, themselves and any property that they own. Not one country is left unaffected by a number of these social issues. So my observation is this. The majority of the world (Human beings) do not see the world through the lens of love nor create with that lens either. If they had, would we be here at this time, in a global financial crisis with numerous wars around the planet, and a constant war on terrorism? I hardly think so.

So what are the other potential lenses that are in use today? Would you like for me to name a few and show how looking at the world through these lenses can and possibly has created the very problems that we all face?

The lens of hatred.

I think that many people can agree that hatred is the complete opposite of love in the case of what we are discussing here.

Hatred is:

Definitions

noun

1. a feeling of intense dislike; enmity

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= hate, dislike, animosity, aversion, revulsion, antagonism, antipathy, enmity, abomination, ill will, animus, repugnance, odium, detestation, execration,

Yes it does read like the world of today doesn't it? Gladly the above named people saw/see the world from a different place, to have shown us a better way, a clearer more hopeful vision. But if we are using this hatred as the lens by which to view our world, is it any wonder that so much suffering is being perpetuated as we discuss this issue? We aren't talking about some long ago historical event are we? Nor a fear of some future one, we are saying what we observe in the present day world.

The lens of power.

I love this quotation so much, I'm going to use it again. I think it came from Jimi hendrix, or from that era at the very least. (www.jimihendrix.com/‎)

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will finally know peace".

Jimi Hendrix (1942 - 1970)

What is power?

Definitions

noun

1. ability or capacity to do something
2. often plural a specific ability, capacity, or faculty
3. political, financial, social, etc, force or influence
4. control or dominion or a position of control, dominion, or authority
5. a state or other political entity with political, industrial, or military strength
6. a person who exercises control, influence, or authority ⇒ he's a power in the state
7. a prerogative, privilege, or liberty
   1. legal authority to act, esp in a specified capacity, for another
   2. the document conferring such authority
   1. a military force
   2. military potential
10. (mathematics)
    1. the value of a number or quantity raised to some exponent
    2. another name for exponent (sense 4)
11. (statistics) the probability of rejecting the null hypothesis in a test when it is false. The power of a test of a given null depends on the particular alternative hypothesis against which it is tested
12. (physics, engineering) a measure of the rate of doing work expressed as the work done per unit time. It is measured in watts, horsepower, etc P
    1. the rate at which electrical energy is fed into or taken from a device or system. It is expressed, in a direct-current circuit, as the product of current and voltage and, in an alternating-current circuit, as the product of the effective values of the current and voltage and the cosine of the phase angle between them. It is measured in watts
    2. (as modifier) ⇒ a power amplifier
14. the ability to perform work
    1. mechanical energy as opposed to manual labour
    2. (as modifier) ⇒ a power mower
16. a particular form of energy ⇒ nuclear power
    1. a measure of the ability of a lens or optical system to magnify an object, equal to the reciprocal of the focal length. It is measured in dioptres
    2. another word for magnification
18. (informal) a large amount or quantity ⇒ a power of good
19. plural the sixth of the nine orders into which the angels are traditionally divided in medieval angelology
20. See in one's power
21. See in someone's power
22. See the powers that be

verb

23. to give or provide power to
24. to fit (a machine) with a motor or engine
25. intr (slang) to travel with great speed or force

See also

power down, power up

Word Origin

C13: from Anglo-Norman poer, from Vulgar Latin potēre (unattested), from Latin posse to be able

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry

= control, authority, influence, command, sovereignty, sway, dominance, domination, supremacy, mastery, dominion, ascendancy, mana, bottom

= ability, capacity, faculty, property, potential, capability, competence, competency,

= authority, right, licence, privilege, warrant, prerogative, authorization

= strength, might, energy, weight, muscle, vigour, potency, welly, brawn, hard power,

= forcefulness, force, strength, punch, intensity, potency, eloquence, persuasiveness, cogency, powerfulness

This entry says something about my theory.

4. Control or dominion or a position of control, dominion, or authority.

If we are looking at the world through this particular lens, we can say that dominion over or the position of control has a lot to do with an aim of using certain energies to demand an outcome. Suppose for example that someone wanted to dictate a particular outcome, of maybe their personal gain in an event. They could exert certain power over others if that was required, in order for their aims to be met. Relying on mere hope, or chance might leave the person bereft if they were determined to have the result they wanted. If they were not depending upon others for the assistance, then they would have to rely solely on their own resources for the outcome.

If the topic/subject is larger, a group, a workforce, a country or a race for example, then maybe more power is needed to bring about the aims of the few. A boss that wanted more time spent on producing a particular item, would require more powers of persuasion to encourage his staff to stay late every day, to get the product out in time for the customer. They might not see the value to them of doing this voluntarily. He might have to offer more money, better conditions and incentives, or he could just hang the doubt and uncertainty for continued employment over the workforce. (Many have done this, so don't laugh, too hard) So we begin to see, that for outcomes to match those of some people or groups, power often needs to be wielded to gain that result. The type of power can vary, and what that power consists of and whom and how it can affect others too. Sadly we have seen in our own history just what a misuse of power can and has done to society and civilizations. If we saw the world in these terms, and through this lens, maybe we would likewise be directly contributing to the pain of global issues.

The lens of money. (The biggie)

I feel sure everyone knows what money is. But do we know what it does? Like the previous lens, money can potentially have really negative affects. The world is seeing this over recent years particularly strongly. If money was used to the advantage of people, societies and civilization, then I hardly think we would even be discussing this topic. Fairness and happiness would be the rule not the exception. (I'm not even beginning to describe the world as having absolutely no happiness) Money is the foundation upon which all commerce happens these days, except in enlightened societies. But who owns/controls that money has a huge bearing upon what it does and whom it serves. If we look at the world through the lens of money, we find that everything has a specific value, a price. Sadly human life is not at the top of this list though. Nor is decency, respect, honesty or transparency. Everything about this lens is cloudy. We are seeing only the poor light that comes through it, which indicates we need more things that money can buy. And to do this we need to work more or harder or longer and more dedicatedly. In reality what we actually become are slaves to money. Money buys materialism but it also buys debt. Or better said indebtedness to the system and the ones controlling that debt. 

 

So I think that is enough of a provocation for now, to cause a shift in our thinking patterns. Please ask yourselves, as I have done, which lens gives the best view? Which will lead to greater awareness and eventual happiness? The lens of Love is what I choose, I hope that you will too.....!

Love, Light, Peace and Harmony.

Peaceful Warrior.

A note from the author.

I do not mean to imply that there is no love in the world, quite the opposite. I hope that the reader can see my aim is to reveal only an observation of things and not be overtly judgemental about other peoples actions and motives. I simply offer a chance to look at things with another perspective.