by CSW Director Rob Field
Mose Allison was a jazz singer who wrote a fascinating song called “Benediction.” I discovered it years ago when I first heard it sung by a different singer. To this day, I can’t tell if Allison was being facetious when he wrote it. Sample his lyrics and see what you think:
My message this evenin’ is simple indeed
Wherever you wander
Whatever your creed
There’s just one thing baby
That comes from above
When push comes to shove
Thank God for self love
Thank Him, thank Him
God for self love
Thank Him, thank Him
God for self love
Whenever push turns into shove
Thank God for self love
Whatever your conclusion about Allison’s intention, the idea itself is thought-provoking: that we should thank God (Love/Source/Being) for the ability to love ourselves. Allison certainly wrote some humorous songs, a notable example being “Your Mind Is on Vacation.” Even if “Benediction” represents an attempt to be funny, I think Allison stumbled onto a profound subject. If we cannot love ourselves (at least a bit!), we’ll also find it difficult to love others or the world around us.
Self love is not always considered a valid religious or spiritual value. If you ask the average Christian, “Is it OK to encourage people to love themselves?” many will wonder if you’re asking a trick question. It was none other than Jesus, however, who summarized the sacred teachings of his day by saying we’re invited to love God and our neighbors as ourselves. In other words, the rightful focus of our love is God, neighbor and self—yet the latter often seems to be forgotten. The consequence of forgetting self love is that too many people today not only don’t love themselves, many of them don’t even like themselves. With a dominant culture that seems obsessed with who is the best or has the most (of whatever is trending lately), it begins to make sense that a musician would come along and write a song with a refrain that thanks the divine for self love.
The late, great Wayne Dyer once said, “If you don’t [learn to] love yourself, you won’t be good at loving anyone else. Loving starts with the self.” If this is a new or challenging idea for you, try on this mind-expanding thought from the renowned mystical poet Rumi: “You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the ocean in a drop.” Self love might become easier when we consciously apply to ourselves what the enduring spiritual traditions teach about humanity in general: that we are made in the divine image, that we are the universe becoming conscious of itself, that we are a spark of divine fire, etc.
Love God? Absolutely!
Love your neighbor? Yes, please.
Love yourself? No question. It might be one of the most important things you ever do.
photo of the artist courtesy of MoseAllison.com