Falling In Love

A mature person does not fall in love, he rises in love. The word "fall" is not right. Only immature people fall, they stumble and fall down in love. Somehow they were managing and standing. They cannot manage and they cannot stand - they find a woman and they are gone, they find a man and they are gone. They were always ready to fall on the ground and to crawl. They don't have the backbone, the spine, they don't have that integrity to stand alone. A mature person has the integrity to be alone. When a mature person gives love, they give without any strings attached to it, they simply give. When a mature person gives love, they feel grateful that you have accepted this love, not vice versa. They do not expect you to be thankful for it, no, not at all, they do not even need your thanks. They thank you for accepting their love. When two mature people are in love, one of the greatest paradoxes of life happens, one of the most beautiful phenomena, they are together and yet tremendously alone. They are together so much so that they are almost one. But their oneness doesn't destroy their individuality, in fact it enhances it. They become more individual. Two mature people in love help each other to become more free. There are no politics involved, no diplomacy, no effort to dominate. How can you dominate the person you love? Just think it over. Domination is a sort of hatred, anger, enmity. How can you think of dominating someone that you love? You would love to see the person completely free, independent. You will give them more individuality. That is why I call it the greatest paradox. They are together so much so that they are almost one, but still in that oneness they are individuals. Their individuality is not effaced, they have become more enhanced. The other has enriched them as far as their freedom is concerned. Immature people falling in love destroy each others freedom, create a bondage, make a prison. Mature people in love help each other to be free, they help each to destroy all sorts of bondage. When love flows with freedom, there is beauty. When love flows with dependence, there is ugliness.