Is anyone else tired of glib quotes gliding down your facebook page, offering you simplistic solutions to exquisitely complex dynamics in your life?  I know I am.

I recently read a meme that exemplifies what I'm talking about.  It was posted by a well-intentioned friend, who I respect. So if you happen to be reading these comments, my friend, they are not meant as a criticism. In fact, I appreciate your post, as it helped to bring a recent swirl of thoughts into focus.

The meme in question reads:

← It makes it sound so easy, doesn't it? As though we are not currently loving unconditionally simply because we haven't chosen to do so.  We can't be bothered or perhaps, even worse, we've willfully decided to love conditionally or not at all.

In the face of this illuminating meme, the world can now change radically on a dime. In a moment of cognitive choice, we can simply decide to love unconditionally -- voila! = World Peace!

With all respect to the intentions of both the creators of this meme and my friend who posted it, this is the kind of over-simplistic platitude that gives the so-called New Thought movement a bad name. Yes, certainly, to love unconditionally does require a choice, but this is only one step in a far more complex process. Unconditional love is not simply a matter of choice; it also a question of capacity. To love unconditionally, we must be both willing and able.

Why am I taking such exception to this seemingly innocuous meme? While there are many reasons, let this simple one suffice: that it sets people up for frustration and failure. Mere choice is not a sufficient strategy for cultivating a capacity for authentic unconditional love. Equipped only with "choice", a person will invariably encounter obstacles and impediments, which require additional wisdom and resources to transcend. When faced with these challenges, anyone gullible enough to take this meme's simplistic message at face value would find themselves in a downward spiral of frustration as they attempt to will their way to unconditional love. Psshhh!

Capacity to love unconditionally requires a great deal more than this. Before we can effectively choose unconditional love, we need at the very least a rudimentary understanding of what "unconditional love" means and a recognition that this level of love actually exists. Many humans have little or no reference point for this and therefore have little hope that it is possible to experience or express this kind of love.  Even when we have gained enough understanding and recognition to motivate a choice for love, we still need to heal the painful memories and patterns in our energy fields which impede and distort love. As we heal, we build our capacity to hold a progressively stronger and stronger charge in our fields for the powerful energy of love.

As humans, our capacity to love is an evolutionary process. We are on a journey (both individually and collectively) to develop our ability to love and then learn to create from this foundation of pure love. However, as a species, humans still have considerable room for growth in this area.

If the ability to love unconditionally was as easy as a simple decision, I assure you the world would already be filled with unconditional love. Why? Because love feels good. Anyone who has ever experienced authentic unconditional love will attest to the fact that there is no greater feeling in the world. It flows through you, illuminating your energy field, opening your heart with joy. It sings in your blood. It calls forth what is highest and best in all it touches. If unconditional love were merely a matter of making a cognitive choice, we'd be making that choice every minute of every day.  Unfortunately for the meme writers of this world, it is much more complex than that.

This isn't microwave-style transformation: just press the "Choose" button and 3 minutes later "Ding!"  There it is: unconditional love, warm and ready to pop on your proverbial plate. The journey of love does require a choice, but it also requires tenacious commitment, along with an generous helping of wit, wisdom and a dollop of whimsy.

Fortunately, we do not undertake this journey alone. We are supported in every moment by the collective consciousness of all Humanity and of Nature. As we develop our capacity to connect and align with this loving support, we heal, grow and learn to express and receive love with ever greater grace and ease. We are transformed. Love becomes, not a cognitive choice, but a naturally arising way of being.