Self-Expression, Contribution, Love and Purpose

“A human being is a part of the whole called by us “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.”

Albert Einstein is best known for his genius, scientific contributions to the world, and for having disproven many of the scientific theories that our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents generations used to take as face value. However, there are other contributions that he made that are lesser-known, and equally valuable.

Einstein used to be sought after by everyone from all socioeconomic backgrounds, and all belief systems, for his wisdom. Presidents of countries, politicians of all parties, scientists, philosophers, religious and spiritual leaders, and the layperson, alike, would look to him, when all else failed. Einstein was known to take the time to answer everyone’s questions. He was thoughtful and succinct, usually limiting his responses to one simple, yet profound paragraph.

The sentences above were part of Einstein’s brief response to a Rabbi, who had written to him after having failed to find the answer to how to move on from the loss of his child, especially after he, himself, had saved the lives of, and helped care for, so many other children after the war.

What did Einstein mean by these forty one words, as part of his response to the grieving Rabbi?

We will be dedicating a series of articles to unpacking Einstein’s response. This current article, however, is meant to take us on the next step of our self-expression journey where we are looking at Love and Purpose. As such, this wisdom of Einstein, also shared by other scientists, by spiritual and religious leaders, by metaphysicians and philosophers, is the best place for us to start looking at Love, Purpose, Contribution, and Self-Expression.

Regardless of where we are in our life, our natural flow is advancement. As such, the moment we unconsciously block our natural flow of advancement, we start hurting. We cannot not advance.

Advancing, or self-expressing, self-actualizing, self-realizing, or self-fulfilling, entails contribution. And to contribute in a way that does not block our advancement, we are to fully understand the Why and the How of contributing.

On the other hand, the understanding of the How of contributing cannot be done without the understanding of where contribution starts, and where it also ends.  This starting and ending point of contribution is the essence of Love.

Without Love, there is no real contribution. Without Love, contribution is not complete. And understanding Love-the essence of contribution, is therefore crucial for us to properly contribute. That, we do through the mechanism of Purpose.

One thing then becomes essential: Can we really understand Love, without fully understanding the true nature of ourselves, of others, and of the world, which we are naturally called to love, to contribute to, and to help advance?

This is why we are where we currently are in this journey. This is why Einstein’s statement is now our focus. And this is why we may be at one of the most crucial and best parts of this series.

In this vein, and now unto you. Let us start our inquiry:

1. What do you think this statement of Einstein means?

2. What do you think are its overall implications?

3. What do you think are its implications on the meaning of Love and Purpose?

Exciting part of the journey. And looking forward to a great discussion.

With Love,
Karen and Mardoche