When I start to distinguish the differences between caring and loving with people they at first think they are the same thing. The programming that we received was that our parents were punishing us because they loved us. "This will hurt me more than it will you" never really jived with me as a child. We were taught that caring was showing love.

I can begin by giving  a definition of the two in such a way as to show the differences.

Caring is based in the belief that the world is dangerous and that there is something to protect ourselves from. It is always seeing dangers and boogey men around the next corner. It is constantly calculating the next "bad" thing that will happen and attempting to stop it. Caring projects an unconscious fear onto whatever is cared about. Caring is selfish and wants to keep what it has. All judgment in caring is from that the point of view that the thing cared about is weak and cannot care for itself. YOU MUST MAKE THE THING CARED ABOUT A VICTIM BEFORE YOU CAN CARE ABOUT IT! Caring always uses contraction and less movement (death) as a solution for the thing cared for. Caring always feels bad and extends bad feelings to others even though it gives the appearance of being a "kind" or "good" person. It is totally inauthentic. Caring is possessive, arrogant, fearful, judgmental, controlling, forcing and restricting.

Love on the other hand is based in the belief that the world is safe and that there is nothing to protect ourselves from. It always sees the world as benign and perfect. It is constantly seeing the "good" side in everything. It allows for maximum movement and ability in the thing loved. Loving never is possessive. Loving allows anything to happen to itself or others. Loving is generous because loves' world is generous to it. Love totally realizes that it does not know what is best for anyone and so assumes that what is happening is best for everyone involved. Love assumes strength in everything that it encounters and gives strength and encouragement to the strength and possibility in the thing encountered. Love always feels good and extends that feeling to everything. Love is expansive. Love does not pretend to be kind to people, it is a natural occurrence for those around it that the loving person is kind. Loving does not worry about "what people will think" it allows for people to have all points of view. Love can "be with" anything. Love is powerful because it is the source of all power.

The only way to get to true love is to let go of all caring about anything except for being loving and then let go of that. Letting go of my plan for my life and others lives will open this world up for me. If every act of observation or movement comes from love we will naturally do the "loving" thing. Our paranoia about the "dangers" in life will slip away. Benign things will begin to happen regularly as a result of our benevolence. Generosity will come our way as a result of our generosity. Freedom will show up as we give freedom to the world we look apon. Joy will result as we allow freedom and joy in others. A sense of wonder and gratitude will arise as we watch the universes' plan unfold for us in a way that is beyond what our rational minds could have imagined!

When we stop punishing our bodies by feeding them negative emotions we will stop punishing the world around us and they will experience us as a safe haven to be around. The universe will then begin to trust us to see its secrets because it knows that we are in harmony with its plan for us. As we move into harmony with the universe we will see that it is now on our side and its power and wonder will be ours.

The Four Steps to Freedom will alter your perspective on each of the points that you still are not in harmony with the universe and as you "switch" each of the thoughts to a loving thought power will rush in. What cannot be done with any amout of force is easily accomplished with true power. If you have the power of the universe on your side how can you fail at anything?

Love,
Clint