“What we call love is in its essence reverence for life.” – German-French polymath, Albert Schweitzer
I love Schweitzer’s sentiments in this quote. So often, when attempting to describe or define love, we use words, songs and stories that only come somewhat close to capturing the idea. But defining love as “reverence for life”, the life I see in you and that you see in me, the life we witness and experience with our partners, kids and families — this comes closer to the truth.
Be honest with yourself for a moment. Do you revere your own life? In other words, do you love and respect yourself as a person? Do you love and respect what fills your time from daybreak to sunset? Let’s break this down.
Some of us (…all of us) have made serious mistakes in our life. It could be the DUI on your record. Perhaps it’s the fight you had with your significant other that ended in cruelty instead of forgiveness. Maybe, it’s the little white lie you told at work that ended up having unintended consequences larger than you could have imagined. These mistakes often feed into self-loathing and deprecation. There are a lot of days that we simply beat ourselves up internally in ways that aren’t even humane. What would it look like if you were just a bit more gracious with yourself? These mistakes could be opportunities to grow instead of stagnations.
Some of us don’t know how we got where we are. Maybe you went to community college, got the associate’s degree in general studies and now you’re working night-shift at the warehouse down the street. Perhaps you’re in the same job you started 15 years ago after graduate school, wondering if you’ll ever be able to work anywhere else in your life. Or you might be getting ready to inherit the family trade business, even though it was your parent’s dream job and not yours. Your house might not be big enough or close enough. Your relationship may be rocky at the moment. Being a parent has eaten up the free time you used to spend doing that hobby you love. All of these feelings are totally valid and need to be processed fully, but they also might missing an element of gratitude. What parts of your daily grind are giving you joy still? Is there anything salvageable that’s worthy of your love and respect?
Hear me out. Your life is worth revering! You deserve to experience the joy of truly appreciating and respecting yourself and the way you spend your time. Is there room for improvement? Of course there is – both internally and externally! Will there be moments of great sorrow, frustration, or pain? Yes, there will be. But your life is still worth living. As you practice a lot of external reverence during this holiday season, I encourage you to think about practicing some internal reverence as well. Honor that flame within you that keeps your heart beating. Respect the breath in your lungs. Revere the people and activities you find yourself around these next few weeks. Let’s start 2023 off on a more hopeful, gratitude-filled foot together.
