The words, “LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR” sound simple enough at first glance. So, we feed a homeless person now and then…or maybe invite the nice old lady next door over for thanksgiving dinner. However the words spoke by great individuals through history, including Jesus are much more difficult and complicated than we may expect.
I began to look at the concept of humility. We are told that we must humble ourselves. We are told to be submissive. We are told that pride goes before a fall. But, what does true humility look like and how do we achieve it?
Through the scope of the acceptance of a higher power (I particularly believe in one G_d), we can see humility resound as a product of vision. By vison, I mean seeing the relation between G_d and humanity. If G_d is truly G-d, then G-d is the essence of true greatness. There would be no other being greater. In seeing this, humanity would be left at a clear second. Humility comes from experiencing G-d’s true greatness and understanding and excepting our lack of greatness. We are equal, in that all humanity shares a common frailty…a common lack of greatness. I am not greater than my brother, mother, neighbor, or even the derelict standing on the street corner hustling false greatness. The Scriptures state that all fall short of the glory of G-d. All humanity is less than great.
Now, grasping this common ideal, we can begin to see our neighbor’s frailty not as a less than ourselves, but equal to ourselves. Showing grace and love towards those who share life with us is not an act of helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves, but rather supporting those who are not G-d. Supporting those who fall short in their quest for greatness. All individuals are on a quest for greatness, even those who have seemed to throw their hands up and commit emotional suicide.
We are persuaded to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are challenged to love our enemies. We are instructed not to let our love be dictated by an individual’s response. We see a picture of Jesus the Christ giving up his life in agonizing pain for all, even those who crucified and beat him. We see a picture of absolute love shown to even those who were seemingly undeserving and we hear a call to do likewise.
To love your neighbor is not to simply love those who love you, but to love all humanity in the same way you love yourself in your humanity…having experienced true greatness in G-d, we can know full well that that we are not great…and what greatness we see in ourselves, when we love our neighbor, is merely a reflection of true greatness.
