Not Wise Authors–Authors Seeking More Wisdom
On Writing Books of Purest Love [from a portion of “Intro to the Project” that we sent to !!Outtakes!!]
Stories about Pure Love: the eternal spiritual Good that all earthly loves imperfectly-but-not-therefore-necessarily-inadequately partakes of; a Great God shining through our day-to-day, saturating—or, I guess, being—the background of each conscious moment; the kindflowing that’s ultimately all there really is—!—? Really?! Who do I think I am to speak openly of Pure Love?
Am I here, all swagger and cajole, telling you there’s a Pure Love and you gotta believe—‘cause an’ if ya don’t, you’re a fool and a traitor with two boots?
No!, c’mon! I’m just saying that we each need a path that is actually meaningful, worthwhile, and interesting to us. We all need a love that’s better and more powerful than anything else; and we all seem to feel such a superhumanly wise, effective kindness somewhere in and through: so why not admit to ourselves and our fellows that we need to value and reach for that love, to get better and better at understanding and following that ineffable yet to some degree meaningfully known inner Light? Only to the degree our thoughts and actions are grounded in that Light are they meaningful-to-us, allowing us to think and act coherently—so it’s worth the effort.
I’m not saying anything but what we all already know deep within: we humans are all in this together and can and should meet ourselves, one another, and the joyful Light within and between us all with awareness, clarity, honesty, kindness, and respect; and when individuals and groups let any other notion come between them and that more fundamental insight, they self-destruct. So let’s push back on those kind of mix ups. Let’s share clear-minded/-hearted kind joy no matter what! We all have notions, but don’t we all most deep down know that our only chance is kind joy?
I think good poetries sink in and prove themselves more and more true while explaining more and more in what way they are true. And I consider the phrase “Pure Love” such a poem. Beyond that I claim only that I’m a human being, or at least a fictional creation born of human experience, or at least a sometimes evoked daydream woven through other daydreams.
So that’s all: We’re talking about weighty spiritual matters, but we are not prophets or even theologians—just would-be-if-we-could-be artists and philosophers who reckon the topic of “Pure Love” interesting and important.
I guess an enlightened person can point towards the Truth safely and assuredly. As for the rest of us (and, wisdom being a thing of degrees, that means all of us to a greater or lesser degree), our talk of God, of Light, of Truth and Goodness: such talk from us is more a pleading than a testimony. Still, we should try. Right? Surely!
[This Impassioned Introductory Speech by BW can be found moved to the copious “Outtakes!!” section of “Love at a Reasonable Price Volume One: First Loves”]