What Next?

Yesterday, I got an interesting email. A long time friend asked me, “Where do you go when you’ve done everything you wanted?”

I didn’t have an answer. So I stated asking more questions.

If you’ve climbed every mountain, broken through every obstacle and manifested every dream, what’s next?

What happens when you’ve opened every door, explored every ally and viewed the world from every angle?

What is left to discover when the world has opened its deepest secrets to you?

What do you do when you’ve seen everything you’ve wanted to see? What do you do when you’ve learned everything you’ve ever wanted to learn? What do you do when you’ve done everything you’ve wanted to do? What do you do once you’ve reached enlightenment?

Not being enlightened, I can only speculate. Though, there seems to be only one logical answer: When you have done and found and learned everything you’ve ever wanted, the next step is helping others do the same.

Unconditionally

I often say to my friends, “I love you.”

However, it’s not entirely true. Yes, I misled you and I’m not sorry about it.

Of the many types of love that exist in the world, there is a very special form called unconditional love. Unconditional love doesn’t leave room for loopholes or scapegoats. It is much more radical. It is dependent upon nothing.

It’s unconditional love for which I advocate. It need not be saved for family and friends and lovers, but rather it is best when shared with strangers, flowers and trees. I suggest making a decision to cultivate unconditional love for everyone and everything in this awe-inspiring world.

Having unconditional love doesn’t make you a push-over and certainly isn’t an excuse to stay in an abusive relationship or support every decision or action taken. But it does mean that you’ll always hold love in your heart and never harbor feelings of resentment, hate, or anger.

Instead of loving bits and pieces or instead of loving someone only if certain actions are (or aren’t) taken, I propose a deeper level of acceptance that makes room for something truly astounding: pure, true unconditional love.

When I said that I love you, it is a partial truth. The larger truth is this: I love you unconditionally.