To be a Parent to the World
Dear All,
I share these words with you in love, in the hope that they may serve as a loving and gentle reminder to remember what is truly important in life, in your life.
Years ago I felt a huge rush to become a father, out of an overwhelming and romantic desire to take care of children I could hardly wait and I thought it would be a good idea to “get started” as soon as possible. So I did my best to convince my beloved wife Nina of this, who was not in any rush during that period in our lives. It was in a vision during a plant-medicine ceremony that I received the clear message to wait because I was not ready yet and I had to let life take its natural course for a few more years before I could take on this great responsibility. The message was very clear and powerful and it managed to soften my rushed desire to a needed patience, trusting that when we were ready together it would announce itself. In the years that have elapsed between my initial, somewhat youthful desire and the moment of writing this, I can say that I am only now really beginning to understand what it takes to bear a responsibility of such a great nature. We do not have any children at the time of writing, although Nina and I have been allowed to care for our animals for years, we also carry a deep heart's desire to one day be blessed with the gift of parenting for children. This also makes the notions of parenthood very much on my mind and I would like to take a moment to write about how the concept of parenthood relates to the entire worldly community.
Anyone who is a 'parent' will definitely recognise that the moment their first child was born there is a major shift, not only in the way you live your life but especially in the overwhelming sense of responsibility and deep insatiable devotion to caring. The birth of a child also gives birth to a new and thoughtful chapter in our lives, we leave youthful patterns of behaviour and slowly move towards the definition of adulthood. Life deepens, that which was previously the object of our cares fades in the sight of the new light of life in our child's eyes. Eyes that show us how to once again behold life in wonder, give us the opportunity to experience new dimensions of loving. A greater sense of purpose and an inherent sense of belonging is born within us that widens the narrowing of self-centered living into a wider circle of attention and care. Many of you reading these words may be blessed with the gift of children and the accompanying responsibility of parenthood, many others may be on the verge of this life-changing moment, and many others may be harbouring other bright dreams for their lives. Whether you have children or not, you are and always will be a child of the world, which through its own learning path is initiated into what I call 'worldly parenting' by which we, through learning to live, learn about what it means to be a 'parent' to all the children of the world.
“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.”
When we grow up in the world under the warm wings of our parents and are introduced to the world, we are initiated into the greater meaning of parenting, which is that all the teachings we take from our walk in the world are ultimately lessons that we should put at the service of the entire worldly community. It is the display of the same qualities and values that befits a good parent with which we can treat every other 'child of the world', be it a human being, be it an animal or a plant, the child's appearance does not matter but each child of the world ultimately bears the same heart's desire and that is to fully express his being and be allowed to live through life, free from suffering. The love with which we wish to be looked upon, from the moment we look into the eyes of our parents when we are born to the moment we come to die and bid our own children farewell, is the very same love that everything on Earth longs to to receive. It is as Yeshua said in one of the world's greatest teachings: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39) , but your “neighbour” is everything that is here on Earth “next to you”, not only man, but literally everything that is here, everything that wishes to live and grow. Another way to put this beautifully is the words spoken by my dear teacher Ram Dass when he says: “We're all just walking each other home”. This beautiful statement speaks to the essence of what I am trying to convey and that is that everything that lives and grows can ultimately be considered a child of the world and so, all of us walk hand in hand towards the feeling of being deeply allowed to come home in the world.
As a mother embraces her newborn child, as a father whispers caressing words or lulls it to sleep, how can we love each other, “your neighbour”, as a parent? Through the same gestures, actions and values that befit parenthood; being moved by a boundless compassion, an unconditional surrender and deep devotion to being allowed to care from the deepest source of love. The beauty of parenting as I have received it from my parents and witnessed it in other people is in the accumulation of loving acts with which a parent continues to introduce their child to the world. It is the countless moments in which the parent is invited to consider how best to act on behalf of the child, an endless study of the necessity of selfless acts and a constant practice of the true definition of caring is what is being taught to the parent.
“We are born of love. Love is our mother.”
It is not the greatest acts of heroism that are required of us, but rather the unseen, altruistic deeds and gestures of love towards all we meet. Gestures as simple (yet grand in their own right) as a friendly greeting or thoughtful inquiry to a passerby, expressing gratitude to a shop assistant, watering the plants or feeding the animals in the yard, so powerful yet gentle as offering a listening ear to someone who is having a hard time and, if necessary, giving money to someone who is homeless or visiting the neighbour in the nursing home. Let's try to walk each other home and take on worldly parenting together, so that we may take care of the children of the world together.
I would like to conclude this letter with the beautiful mantra that sums up the concept of worldly parenting. It is a mantra written in Sanskrit which reads as follows:
'Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu', which means: “May all beings everywhere be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and to that freedom for all.”
In love and reverence, sven
Special thanks to our dear friend Sabine Metz for creating these beautiful analog photos!
