All About Love: New Visions

" The search for love continues even in the face of great odds, " - was painted in bright colors.

Young people are cynical about love. Ultimately, cynicism is the great mask of the disappointed and betrayed heart.

..he defines love as "the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth" (M. Scott Peck's)

This kind of unmasking - speaking our truth, sharing our inner struggles, and revealing our raw edges - is sacred activity, which allows two souls to meet and touch more deeply. (John Welwood)

Trust is the foundation of intimacy. When lies erode trust, genuine connection cannot take place.

Usually, they find that the place of suffering - the place where we are broken in spirit, when accepted and embraced, is also a place of peace and possibility. Our sufferings do not magically end; instead we are able to wisely alchemically recycle them. They become the abundant waste that we use to make new growth possible.

Loving friendships provide us with a space to experience the joy of community in a relationship where we learn to process all our issues, to cope with differences and conflict while staying connected.

Instead of running away from our loneliness and trying to forget or deny it, we have to protect it and turn it into fruitful solitude...Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful.

" I do not mean to be sentimental about suffering - but people whoh cannot suffer can never grow up, can never discover who they are". (James Baldwin)

Compassion opens the way for individuals to feel empathy for others without judgment. Judging others increases our alienation. When we judge we are less able to forgive. The absence of forgiveness keeps us mired in shame.

Fear intensifies the doubt. It paralyzes. Faith and hope allow us to let go. Fear stands in the way of love.