The Greatest Thing in the World

I have a soft spot in my heart for flea markets, thrift shops, and junkyards. I see them as opportunities to connect with the past. Sometimes it's my past, and sometimes it's someone else's past. Sometimes I find a real deal. Sometimes I find something that resonates again and again.

 

A couple of years ago, I came across several small palm-sized books. The Little Leather Library corporation published 101 literature classics in miniature from 1916 to 1923. They sold over 25 million copies through department stores, drug stores, and through mail order. At two dollars apiece, I couldn't let this find go. 

 

Yesterday, I came across my set of LLL books, and I was intrigued by the one titled "Greatest Thing in the World." Written by Scottish Biologist, Evangelist, lecturer, and writer Henry Drummond in 1870 as a sermon, this little book remains highly popular in Christian circles. The Greatest Thing. What could that be? What do you think it is? 

 

The eternal optimist might say, Hope. For without Hope, we have nothing. But Hope is future-focused. Of course, we must have goals to realize our human potential, but the Greatest Thing is a bit deeper. 

 

The pious servant of God might say Faith. For it is with Faith that Hope finds fertile ground. But there is one thing that is the sun and the water; it is Love. 

 

The Ten Commandments are easy to follow when there is Love. How could you steal from someone you loved. Love is the singular most powerful force there is. It is what makes enlightenment possible. Love is that which breaks down all of our challenges to the simple element of Being. It is that which destroys regret and neutralizes anxiety. Yet even though it is so accessible and universally available to everyone, the question remains; how can we amplify Love?

 

On page 22, I found the answer. The Greatest Thing is the Spectrum of Love; Love's nine ingredients.

 

Love is Patience. It understands, and therefore, it waits. Love is never in a hurry, for through Love, we find the supreme confidence that is the bedrock of patience.

 

Kindness is Love in action. Doing things is Love. The act of consciously striving to bring happiness to someone is Love. All spiritual traditions promote actively engaging with others. Every day there are infinite opportunities for kindness.

 

The opposite of Generosity is envy. Whenever one attempts good work, there is always someone else who does that work better than you. Comparing ourselves to others is not the way of Love. Only compare yourself to who you were yesterday. This is the only way forward. 

 

Only after you have learned to be generous with your gifts and your works is there found a trap that can destroy your Love. Once you have achieved something great, available to you every day, put a seal on your lips and forget what you have done. Focus only on the next thing to do. Do not dwell upon your triumphs. Practice Humility.

 

Love in society is known as Courtesy. Courtesy is Love in little things. When put into the highest echelons of humanity, even the most ignorant persons will never portray themselves as inappropriate as long as their hearts overflow with Love. 

 

It isn't easy to give up those things we have earned. The Unselfish heart manifests Love by not seeking things. Covetousness is unflattering. Things cannot be great. There is only greatness in unselfish Love. 

 

Love is not provocative. Good Temper is a choice. Through its consistent application, the fabric of civil society is made like iron. 

 

Guilelessness is the great secret of personal influence. Someone with guile is wily and manipulative. They seek to influence the creation of personal power. The guileless seek to educate. They believe in you. They provide encouragement and educative fellowship. 

 

Finally, there is Sincerity. This is the self-restraint that refuses to take advantage of other's faults. Sincerity shuns exposing the weaknesses of others. Sincerity is truth in all our personal interactions.

 

I love this analysis of Love provided in this little book from over 100 years past. The business of our lives is to have these nine ingredients fitted into our characters. 

 

"This is the supreme work to which we need to address ourselves in this world, to learn Love. Is life not full of opportunities for learning Love? Every man and woman every day has a thousand of them. The world is not a playground; it is a schoolroom. Life is not a holiday but an education. And the one eternal lesson for us all is how better we can love."

 

Be well, dear reader.