In 1492 Columbus made his storied voyage from Spain to the New World over a period of about ten weeks. What is not as well known is that among these early explorers—these heroes—there was considerable fear. Three days after leaving Spain, the crew on one of the ships—the Pinta—was so reluctant to keep sailing away from familiar territory that they sabotaged their own ship’s rudder.
Weeks later they reached the “point of no return,” where the food and water remaining were just sufficient for them to return alive to Spain. At this point, the sense of panic aboard the ships escalated considerably, and there was some talk of mutiny. Columbus prevailed, however, and they reached their destination with minimal supplies remaining.
What were the sailors afraid of? Water? Weather? Seasickness on tiny ships bouncing on very big waves? No, they’d all experienced plenty of all that. Were they afraid of the New World? No, they were actually eager to discover what they thought to be a new route to Asia, along with the fame and fortune that would likely accompany such a feat.
So what were they really afraid of? Nothing. They feared that after all those weeks at sea, and after exhaustion of their supplies, they would find nothing—nothing but water and more water, resulting in their deaths.
In my lifetime I have seen uncounted miracles as a result of the power of Real Love—in individual lives, in couples, in the workplace, and more. On many occasions these people have asked, “Why doesn’t everybody on earth know about Real Love? It is so amazing—the happiness so far beyond anything I’ve ever known—that I don’t understand why everybody isn’t dying to learn more about it.”
Again, the answer is simple. People are afraid. Of what? Learning something new? Not usually, no. Fear of genuine love and intimacy? No. They’re afraid that after all the effort they might put into something new—after sailing weeks into the unknown ocean—they will find nothing. They’re afraid that genuine love and intimacy don’t exist. After a lifetime of consistently finding nothing that makes them happy—despite their very best efforts—they’re afraid that they’ll keep finding nothing, and that fills them with a sense of exhaustion and despair.
Columbus sailed with no certainty of what he’d find. There were no maps with the New World on them. There were no sailors who had ever reached this new place and returned with reliable information about its existence—ignoring the Viking experience 500 years earlier, which was unknown to Columbus.
By comparison, we do now have reliable maps that lead us to Real Love and profound happiness. We have twenty books, hundreds of video chats, and much, much more. We also have the experience of thousands who have successfully made the journey and are eager to share with us what they learned.
The journey to love is worth whatever is required of us. The rewards are indescribable, and the path is well marked. Now we need only follow it, holding the hands of those who have gone before us.
Replace your fear & confusion with peace and happiness.
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