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Cheap & Crass's avatar

Thank you! As I read this essay, a poem I think about often popped into my head"

""whoever has no house now, will never have one.

whoever is alone, will stay alone. will sit, read, write long letters through the evening.

and wander the boulevards, restlessly, while the dry leaves are blow" --Rilke

When I first read this poem I had a strong reaction of both sadness but I was also relieved and calmed by the words. Maybe it's human nature to always search and never settle. Maybe the modern lifestyle of humans is completely wrong and our human brains are more geared towards chasing wild boars and trying not to die in the wilderness like our ancestors.

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Prudence Louise's avatar

In the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, this yearning is understood to be a feeling of separation from God, not religion. It’s considered a good thing, the awakening of love of God. Think of lovers who are forced by circumstance to be apart, their separation makes their yearning for each other more intense. That's all they have of each other.

If it’s any comfort to you, I always think that yearning isn’t coming only from you, it’s also coming from God. As much as you want God, that is the window, or the lens through which you can experience his yearning for you.

There are a great many prayers in the Hindu bhakti or devotional traditions which express this sentiment.

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