When love comes to encompass the whole of humanity, no exceptions. We have to keep pushing, deepening, widening the circle of love. If the circle of our compassion stops at the borders of a religious community (and no further),

If instead of being projected along a national border, it projects towards embrace of a whole religious community, that, too, is a move towards the global and the universal. If the circle of our compassion stops at our national borders, Love can bring together the many people living inside an imagined boundary, but it must not stop there. If the circle of our concern embraces only one people, Love puts the welfare of many families ahead of one’s own families, but it must not stop there. If the circle of our concern encompasses only one family (our own), Love spills over, beyond our ego, towards our family, our neighbors, our friends. Love propels us beyond the circle of ego, and puts the welfare of others ahead of - or at least alongside - our own.

If the circle of our compassion encompasses only one individual, our own self, In every instance, what moves us from one smaller, narrower, more selfish and parochial circle towards the next is love. Whom do we ultimately spend our life serving? It is worth pausing to examine our own hearts, and explore how wide our own circle of compassion is. It is a progression of love from the bind of our own ego toward ever more compassionate, gentle, and wider circles. In this simple way, much of the spiritual life is not about otherworldly experiences, burning incense, or expensive retreats. It is a divine force that propels us beyond the ego. Our egos keep saying: “Me, me, me.” “Mine, mine, mine.”

Edem wosornu