May "Love Speech" Not Become a Thing

I hope the term “Love Speech” never catches on. For the last thing we need right now is more ideas, let alone speech(es).

 The secret today may be to not start another movement. It seems that anything said gets caught in one movement which is predictably classified by other movements.

As much as many of us spiritual types might like to pontificate, “Love Speech” is just too fluffy and lightweight. I fear it would be co-opted by one group or another, keeping the trolls happy. 

It’s tempting to make arguments of how progressives define hate speech or how conservatives define hate speech but this is empty rhetoric at the moment. It’s far too late for that.  We may already be bored by that line of thinking.

 If we insist on dividing ourselves, and hence our speech, it may be better to look at our whole situation as an ongoing war within ourselves, that of our own lower natures and higher human natures.

 Perhaps a terrible age has arrived. Or perhaps we are leaving a terrible age. Perhaps. Maybe.  But how much have we considered the tyranny we put ourselves through each day might be related to the movements “out there”?

 I suggest not making Love Speech a movement but, rather, a private space within us.  A secret hideout. The world may be too hard out there just yet to be so open and vulnerable. We all might blush if we shared how much care is driving our fear, sadness and rage.

 If you like we could each create Love Speech practices for ourselves.  If you email me your practices and results, I will email you mine in return. I’d be so grateful and encouraged to hear about your practices! I'd much prefer to read your wisdom than the headline news.

 But let’s not make a movement, or try and change the world right now. Here’s what I’ve been practicing this month, you’re welcome to try it, but even better, invent your own Love Speech practice.

 Hate Speech, Love Speech Practice

 Early morning is not my best time, I often wake up in lower nature. Right away, I begin taking interest in my thoughts.  Often the thoughts come from deficiency.

 Here’s a lovely little sample:

“You won’t ever accomplish what you want to”. 

“You don’t have any power” 

“You’re going to run out of money pursuing stupid practices like ‘Love   Speech’”

 “This person harmed me and I’ll correct them”

“The world’s a mess and people are stupid”

Step 1: I let the lower thoughts come and I do not suppress them.

 It’s hard work but I even greet them, at least be open to what they have to say.  When I’ve heard enough, I choose the most prominent voice and I say, “I wonder if you are scared? Or hurt? Or, what's it like for you in there?”

 Step 2: I  attune correctly to the feelings and needs of the deficient lower voices.

 Being relational like this is higher human nature. The trick is, I’m not trying to therapize or resolve a single thing or even convince those lower voices there are alternatives. Those are other practices.  

 I’m just relating with them and It’s the human nature secretly taming the animal nature and it feels good, wholesome, like life is moving in the direction I’d like it to. I’m befriending my enemies.

Here is the least obvious step:

 Step 3: I insist on enjoying the intrinsic care, love, interest that is happening between the higher and lower natures.

No aggression or division.  All included in wholeness.

 Hate Speech and Love Speech get to coexist but in an appropriately ordered way.  The lower is listened to and valued but it does not govern.

 May my speech be whole and undivided.  May I not suppress hate speech with love speech.