Thanks for being as present and loving as you are Steve.
Being big hearted is quite a challenge, I've found, which brings light to many nooks and crannies sometimes, mainly to those whose minds are focused in the shadows of their own mind... this is a challenge I've found, how to be "big hearted", which seems to be my nature to a large degree, but still be "smart" about when to show it certain ways, and when to protect myself from those who may see big-heartedness as a weakness to take advantage of... I think the Gurus and Masters reach a point where they have no ego left to attack, they identify with all, including such a "snake-like" individual... to always have an open heart is a totally rewarding process, including in how it shows you how much ego remains (more than a little, in my case), which is humbling and takes courage and determination to continue after such an attack...
A bonobo who has never seen a crocodile might have the instinct to offer it food to show kindness, but this would be totally lost on the crocodile, whose nature is programmed to view the kind monkey as food. Not a perfect example, and I don't wish to "dwell" in the negative, but perhaps this is just the phase I'm currently at... wanting to "get back up" and try to give to spirits I haven't met and become close to those worthy, after more than a couple of "let downs" from my past...
I do believe, however, that the world need more Big Hearted people than almost anything else!
As Burt Bacharach said in his song, "What the world needs now is love sweet love"...
Not everyone i have met feels that way about me. The challenge is to be able to understand the bones that others have to pick with me. i find that it is one of the most difficult aspects of the spiritual life; that is being objective about yourself and to recognize your own faults and shortcomings in life.
i am sure there are people that feel the same way about you... that you are truly loving and present in their lives. i find that the difficulties arise in relationships of all sorts when mutual desires-once satisfied- are now not met and a re-evaluation has to take place because we are not able to satisfy people in the way that they seek. At times we ourselves feel unsatisfied by existing relationships that at one time were quite stimulating. It is then our spiritual responsibility to be kind even though we may not be able to be the same lover or friend we once were able to be for someone.
