As a youngster, I was taught the opposite of love was hate, which made logical sense to my young mind. Later in life I learned the opposite of love, was fear. Now, I realize hate and fear are only pieces of the "opposition" puzzle to love rather than the whole of it. Neither hate nor fear of their own, are the true opposite of love, as love is SO much bigger than both of them. For something to actually be the opposite of love it must be as all encompassing as love, i.e., big enough to make us question the power of love itself. I believe that "thing" is ignorance.
So let's look for a moment at the root word of ignorance, ignore, from an intellectual standpoint. It is: a refusal to take notice of, or failure to consider something significant. (An important note here is that ignorance is not stupidity.) Adding the suffix, a-n-c-e, to the word, ignore, ignorance becomes: the state or degree of our refusal or failure to consider. Perhaps ignorance is what makes us ignorant to the power of living as love. To determine our own state or degree of refusal, we must evaluate our maturity, experience, perceptions and knowledge. These are all filters for our assumptions and decisions reflecting our personal viewpoint, which then become the truths of our lives. This is summed up perfectly in 1 Corinthians, 13:11, which states, "When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child." Of course this can certainly change as we learn more and grow older, developing a greater ability to understand and evaluate our truths and expand our capacity for higher level experiences and expression.
Now let's take a look at ego. Our ego's want. Period. They want to be right, to win and to be in control, always. Both hate and fear are part and parcel of the ego's collective ignorance of love, as each represents a refusal to take notice of or look at what is significant, i.e., love. The stronger the ego-mind, the more we become steeped in our own personal truths which can make us rather selfish or inflexible. As well, this can cause us to miss or reject the significance of divine Truth. We don't see the power of dedicating ourselves to devotional practices that could help us discover and reveal these deeper truths for ourselves and within ourselves. And if Divine love is a truth both significant and indisputable, then by focusing on egocentric thoughts and desires, we actually separate ourselves from it, and hence, are embracing ignorance. When egos expand (in accordance with the definition above), ignorance grows. Yet, we can intentionally choose to cultivate love by putting our attention on the true significance of it so love will grow. This creates fertile soil where we grow in love, not intellectually, but as a deeply profound heart-centered experience.
Looking honestly, we can see how all encompassing love is. When we are one with it, we become authentic in our lives and relationships, honest, brave, strong, willing, kind, confident, compassionate, forgiving, peaceful and clear minded. All of these qualities live in love. They are ingredients in the "recipe" called love. Alternatively, in a state of egocentric ignorance, we may experience the qualities of feeling hateful, envious, resentful, regretful, sad, defeated, dishonest, angry, fearful or weak. These qualities are a fuller representation that more accurately define the "recipe" of ignorance. The takeaway? To remember that the more we begin to align with the Divine definition of who we are—powerful, unlimited, protected and blessed—the more we are able to experience love. However, the more we align with our egos, dictating a singular self in separation rather than union, where we compete, judge, manipulate, and act out of an artificial or put-on sense of self importance, the greater our chances of experiencing a state of ignorance. Therefore, taking notice of love means choosing to put our awareness on the significance of love and it's encompassing qualities, in order to experience a higher and more uplifting yield, rather than one that ultimately degrades.
In my many years of deeply connecting and communing within, I have learned that Love is union, not separation. It can often express itself as Presence, acceptance, stillness, stability, compassion, clarity and peace. But without steeping ourselves in inner quiet, emptying out our minds, and creating inner space to merge with Divine power, we will not grow past our ignorance. This makes it easy to see why love remains such a mystery, albeit worth the effort necessary to seek it. Think of love not a destination, but as a giving journey of rich, multifaceted rewards that meet us at every level of our willingness to release the ignorance our egos are constantly preaching. Consider giving some of your focused attention to the exquisite and perfect quiet, waiting within. Agree to take notice of something significant. Move out of ignorance gently, sweetly, willingly and continuously. Could there be a more beautiful way to end a difficult personal season and invite the far more satisfying ones still to come?