Love is not a Business

Love never hurts anybody. It is something else pretending to be love which feels hurt. Unless you see this you will go on moving in the same circle again and again. Love can hide many unloving things in you. Man has been very clever, cunning, in deceiving others and in deceiving himself too. He puts beautiful labels on ugly things, he covers wounds with flowers. This is the first thing you have to go into. 

Love ordinarily is not love, it is lust. And lust is bound to feel hurt, because to desire somebody as an object is to offend. It is an insult, it is violent. When you move with lust towards somebody, how long can you pretend it is love? Something which is superficial will look like love, but scratch a little bit and hidden behind it is sheer lust. Lust is animalistic. To look at anybody with lust is to insult, humiliate, is to reduce the other person to a thing, to a commodity. No person ever likes to be used; that's the most ugly thing you can do to anybody. No person is a commodity, no person is a means towards any end. 

Love can only be true if  there is no ego hiding behind it. Otherwise love becomes only an ego trip.  It is a subtle way to dominate. And one has to be very conscious because this desire to dominate is very deep rooted. It never comes naked; it always come hidden behind beautiful garments, ornaments. 

Husband say they love their wives, but it is just domination. They are jealous, so possessive, how can they love be loving? Wives go on saying they love their husband, but twenty four hours they are creating hell; in every possible way they are reducing the husband to something ugly.

Love in its purest form is a sharing of joy. It asks nothing in return, it expects nothing; hence how can you feel hurt? When you don't expect, there is no possibility of being hurt. Then whatsoever comes is good; if nothing comes, that too is good. Your joy was to give, not to get. Then one can love from thousands of miles away; there is no need to be physically present even. 

Fear is never love and love is  never afraid. There is nothing to lose for love. Why should love be afraid? Love only gives. Fear and love never exist together; they cannot. Fear is just the opposite of Love. 

OSHO