I'M A LOSER: Who Defines Love?: Penn Jillette

"How much do you have to hate somebody NOT to proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that..." - Penn Jillette

The "I'm A Loser" episode happens once a month at the end of the month...You send me stuff, and we discuss it:

One of our ANONYMOUS Losers "Kyle" sent this Penn Jillette video to me:

Famous magician and infamous atheist Penn Jillette chats about a religious sharing their faith (proselytizing) to him. This video is fascinating to me!

I've been searching out the idea of love for a few years now. I used to be a person who aggressively looked forward to sharing with others my way of seeing and doing things, not only through religion but life. I believed it would help them; I defined it as "loving them."

I did this arrogantly...believing the way I did things was the best way and that it would help the world if they did it my way too. Wow, What an idiot.

I'm not sure I believe this anymore. I ran empty to the point of exhaustion hustling around telling people about my perceived truths that I believed if they accepted and lived my way, it would help them. I got tired of only seeing the world through my lens. Got sick of carrying the weight of OF MY WORLD on my shoulders. My greatest relief came through a realization that my way was simply that. My way.

I started feeling so much freer when I said to myself, "Fuck it, maybe this is all just for me. I'm gonna just live my life my way and stop trying to get others to join me."

This was a revelation to me! That I could stop trying to control the world and just love the world the way and was, and go to work on me! Live out my convictions without having to put them onto others. Not only did I become freer, but I also became more compassionate of others, a better listener, a better learner.

My struggle with defining love comes to these questions worded in different ways...

Is love defined by me when I give it to others? Or, is love to be defined by the recipient?

Is showing love what I perceive it to be? Or is how the receiver of my love the definer of love?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  LET US KNOW...