I have been contemplating the meaning of insult and it seems to be a rich subjcet. To insult somebody basically means to make a derogatory remark, accidentally of with the full intention to hit the person’s sense of integrity.
There are many forms of insult, but the central question is – what is it that gets insulted ?
A cruel remark can hit you right in the pit of your stomach. You can actually feel it and there is a feeling of nausea that goes along with it. It shatters your composure and you feel emotions rising. The reaction to an insult can be two-fold – either we hit back or we withdraw in defeat and grief, or in a combination of the two. Either way, there is a massive defensive reaction based on – words.
Words are energy and they carry the vibration of the intent. When they are directed towards another person in an intent to hurt, they will accomplish it. They will weaken the protective layers around us and hit right in the heart.
Insults are meant to psychologically weaken the other person. I can use abusive language or indirect allusions – the effect will be the same, the darts of my words of malice will pierce through the protective layers of the other person’s defense system and hit right where it hurts – the weak spots of the ego.
When Jesus was asked which commandment was the most important, he answered:
The first is, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ (Mark 12. 29-32).
I am fascinated with the teachings of Jesus and the clarity of his words. The Shema (Hear O Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One..) is central to the daily prayer and encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism. But it is in the second part, the practical implications of the Shema are spelled out and made made clear: Love your neighbour as yourself…. It is “as” yourself, and not like yourself. It does not mean to concede to your neighbour what you have and not withhold or recject anything he may want. It does not mean to wish your neighbours well and get along with them. What is really means is much more radical – it means to love the other AS yourself.
To love the other AS myself, requires me to BE myself first. It means to drop my mask, come out of hiding, approach and embrace the other with an open heart. It means to drop the barriers between myself and the other and that sounds like a lovely philosophical or theological concept, until we start to understand and experience the intimacy that is possible between living beings, once we cease to judge, label or resist. Once we have learned to take another to heart, literally . There is no sense of division anymore – the other has become myself, so deeply, so profoundly and so intimately, that I cannot tell the difference any more. So the Shema has become a reality and I live it with all that it entails.
Moments of loving another as oneself can be experienced with anything – objects, animals, plants and of course with people. It is a sense of true intimacy and the truth that lies in recognising the other as oneself. And it is a matter of practice, because it does take a while until we are able to be so open, so vulnerable and trusting to allow another being to come so close and really be intimate, a part of us. It truly means to love the other not as the other – but as myself.
This is the teaching of the heart and to me this is the evolution of Judaism to Christianity. It is one thing to believe in God as the One – but it is quite another to drop one’s guard so thoroughly, so completely, that I am able to truly experience in myself what it means – God is in me and God is One.
Some readers may feel taken aback by exploring the words of Jesus the Teacher. But to me he is just so clear, so direct and so to the point. It is radical, it is glaringly obvious and there is no room for misunderstanding : The intensity and clarity of this teaching surpasses everything any spiritual teacher has ever taught.
Love your neighbour as yourself. If you follow this one teaching, the kingdom of heaven is yours to behold.
In all ten directions of the universe,
there is only one truth.
When we see clearly, the great teachings are the same.
What can ever be lost? What can be attainrd?
If we attain something, it was there from the beginning of time.
If we lose something, it is hiding somewhere near us.
Look: this ball in my pocket:
can you see how priceless it is?
Food, food, food – where ever I go, it is about food. What to eat, when to eat, where to eat, with whom to eat…journals and magazines are full of recipes, there are TV shows and cooking classes, books and seminars, workshops and lectures – all about food. The grocery store is offering a forever bigger variety of food stuff, markets and food stalls everywhere, farmers offering produce, restaurants and street-food, online shopping and specialty foods – people are eating, eating, eating and if they are not eating, they may be thinking of where to get their next meal or discussing what they had for lunch.
If we can afford it, we soon become obsessed with food and eating. Abundance on the table has always been a sign of wealth, but what we do now stands in no relation to what may have been the habit of the rich – to show off their wealth and feast on the sense of security that comes with a overladen dinner table. But what we can observe now in the industrialized world, is a spell that stands in no relation to our actual physical, psychological and energetic requirements. Look at the plates and the enormous amount of food piled on them, think of the buffets with the bulging bowls and platters, the overladen carts in the grocery store. the bulging bags carried home. It is not only about food, this is is about overabundance and opulence, splurging, gorging and overindulging.
Did anyone insult you lately ?
The Living Room 