Theos-Talk Archives (October 1997 Message tl00379)

In a message dated 97-10-20 11:06:12 EDT, you write:

Nicole,

<< 
 Thank you for your interesting explanations - I think unconditional love
 naturally happens between a mother and her child as long as it is a baby.>>

I found your concepts on unconditional love extremely interesting.   I have a
problem with unconditional love being related to "naturally happens between a
mother and her child as long as it is a baby."  I have read and heard about
to many cases of child abuse or neglect to believe unconditional love is a
natural function and heard of  many women (and know a few) who think of
children as a commodity (status) to a reflection of themselves, or have a
fleeting interest in the child as a baby and and looses it once the child
starts to reason and no longer can be dictated to.  None of those situations
qualify, IMO, as unconditional love.  While I think in some cases
unconditional love happens it is selective cases.  Recent studies have
discovered human's have "no mothering instinct."  However, studies can be
wrong or misleading. 

  <<"Our inability to drop our shield without ego getting in the way, or
being a
 doormat for other and permitting the same of others is IMHO, the root of  a
 great deal of our personal problems in relationships, jobs and community."

 Is it the ego or the desire of possession which can easily lead to obsession
and
 is often "sold" as "unconditional love"? >>

Your making an excellent point.  People who seem to be able to love
unconditionally do seem a little "obsessed".  OTH,  are you saying no one can
love unconditionally without self-interest?  Sounds Freudian.  On the flip
side Viktor Frankl's work regarding "Man's Search for Meaning" indicated this
to be a natural and even healthy function (love for one thing that you pursue
such as art.)  Most Theosophical teaching, I have read - (HPB, Judge, Besant,
De Purucker, Bailey) ties into, at some point, unconditional love.  This is
an interesting question worth much reflection. They, also, talk of the need
of "letting go of personality'" or "lower self" which I interpret as shields.
 I wonder if we can ever take our "self" out of anything.  I.E. love without
a degree of self interest and does unconditional love necessarily predicate a
lack of self interest?  In the "Key to Theos" HPB was pretty clear about
expecting the "same as" not more or less.  I suspect that implies a degree of
self interest.  All very interesting reflection material.  

crp