It was not easy for me to write, two weeks ago: "assume that when you are not experiencing joy it's because you placed a dam in the stream of love."

I thought of all the people I know who have suffered much. How dare I suggest that they had placed dams in the stream of love? But you wrote to me, several of you. You spoke of looking for those dams, even in the depths of your grief and suffering. You told me that finding and removing the dams changed your loss and suffering in pivotal ways. You thanked me for suggesting that you had placed dams and that you could remove them.

Thank you. Now I am clearer than ever -- when I am not experiencing joy, I first and foremost look for dams.

Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We are deeply in need of a new way beyond the darkness that seems so close around us. [This new way is] an all-embracing and unconditional love for all mankind. This oft-misunderstood, this oft-misinterpreted concept, so readily dismissed by the Nietzsches of the world as a weak and cowardly force, has now become an absolute necessity for the survival of man.

"When I speak of love, I’m not speaking of some sentimental and weak response. I’m not speaking of a force which is just emotional bosh. I’m speaking of that force which... [is] the supreme unifying principle of life.

"Love is somehow the key that unlocks the door which leads to ultimate reality. Let us hope that this spirit will become the order of the day."

What if what the sages say is true? What if it's true that all you need is love? What if it's true that the essence of all of creation is joy?

Is there a way you can test it? Yes.

Assume, for a little while at least, that it is true, that the essence of your being is joy. Furthermore, assume that when you are not experiencing joy it's because you placed a dam in the stream of love. You placed the dam, and you can remove it.

How? It's all about letting go of your defenses.

Try it for a week. Not experiencing joy? Look for the dam. Let me know what you find.

#23

You have nothing to prove.
(nothing to justify, nothing to defend, nothing to explain, nothing to fear)