OPINION: All About Unconditional Love

Magdalena Potluck
By Margaret Wiltshire

Old Timers in Magdalena this year reminded me how glad I am to live in this small village. I’m glad we are between our bigger “sister” Socorro and our even more country “brother” Datil and that we have many “cousins” further out. I love it all, unconditionally.
Warren Buffet made “internet” news recently with statements of “his best advice.” It surprised many that it had nothing to do with money. He spoke of “unconditional love”. He elaborated, “there is no power on earth like unconditional love.” He suggested that if we offered our children, from an early age, unconditional love, they would be equipped to handle all that life offers and to survive all the challenges.
Unconditional love is not love without critique, direction or safety instruction. It is love for who you are, because you are. When love is quantifiable, qualifiable or dependent on tasks and achievements, it makes an object of the loved one. It diminishes both the lover and the loved.
Unconditional love does wonders for the “lover” as well. It heals all kinds of old wounds and bad habits. Loving unconditionally provides a great support. Suddenly you have a reason to be, probably more then a little to do, and a path to travel. You don’t need a family to work the magic of unconditional love. Love an animal, a friend, a village or your world unconditionally and you confirm your own value and loveable self.
If all of New Mexico’s political leader’s loved this state they wouldn’t allow water speculation. If any of them loved our state, they wouldn’t allow that in thirty years we may be totally dry. New Mexico is not an object to be plundered. New Mexico is a home to love.
Loving unconditionally is about caring, valuing. It helps you think better. It helps you think about being responsible. Taking personal responsibility is the key to independence and freedom. The key to loving unconditionally is awareness. An intense here and now awareness is the kind that slows or stops time itself and is a giant step away from ego.
It is that step away from ego that politicians have such a hard time with. Leaving us without glorious leadership, or even respectable leadership.
In the middle of the last century “ego” became a goal in itself. We were told we needed a good, strong ego. If we critiqued ourselves we were weak. From the late 50's to the 90's we developed a culture of me, myself and I ... a culture of ego adoration. And the others, any other was on their own, or could be damned. Unless of course the other served the needs of our ego.
Divorce rates soared, children had to raise themselves and shopping became the favorite ego past-time. Realtors started selling price tags instead of homes and businesses. Greed is the favorite activity of ego. Work and production became devalued. Stress became a major cause of disease.
Our country which had been a great mentor, a goal to achieve and much beloved by people of the world has been hit by “ego” quest. We have developed and enacted a covert and open foreign policy that put us in this “terrorists watch” century. By covert I mean U.S. citizens are kept in the dark as much as possible.
For example, we are to believe and are told we support democracy everywhere while we have no trouble taking one out (like in Guatemala) for the benefit of big business (like United Fruit). Covert action doesn’t mean keeping it secret from the victims.
“Covert” means keeping it a secret from you. The “spin” is that they are jealous of us. What if they just love their land, their people, their families, their work, their lives unconditionally? If we loved our Democratic Republic unconditionally, we might respect others. If we have to “have it all,” expect some terror.
For the love of ego we walk the earth blind. Ego is the trickster, the liar.
The Hurt Locker, a movie by director Kathyrn Bigalow, is a teaching film about warriors and war. It addresses the confusion about “awareness”. No matter how dangerous a situation is, being totally aware, totally here and now is a high like no other. It’s fully being alive even if you may die immediately.
Awareness is fully being alive everyday. Her hero had a chance to be totally aware of the wonder of his own son, to love unconditionally, and do his job as a father. He didn’t know how. He was clueless about unconditional love. We’re making professional barbarians.
No yellow ribbon, I’m wrapping my tree with unconditional love.

We love Old Timers and the Fiesta, unconditionally, BUT I hear it’s time for a critique. I’ll protect identities. Write me Wshireoldadobe@yahoo.com or call 854-3370.

OPINION: All About Unconditional Love