Acharya Prashant addresses two related questions: the connection between love and responsibility, and how to best express love for the foundation, whether through financial contribution or full-time volunteering. He begins by explaining that what is commonly known as love is the attraction between two people. It's a simple matter of one person liking another, a mutual pull. However, real love is something different. Citing the 14th-century Persian Sufi poet Hafiz, as well as Rumi and Kabir Saheb, he states that in real love, there are not two, but three entities. This third entity is the highest potential of both individuals, which can be called God, Truth, or Liberation. In worldly love, two people value each other as they are, often attached to each other's flaws for self-serving reasons. For instance, a violent person might like a timid person to exploit them. In contrast, the responsibility in real love is to help both oneself and the other person reach that higher, third potential. This responsibility makes real love an intense struggle. It is a conflict against the other person's current state and one's own. As Kabir Saheb said, it's like walking on the edge of a sword. Ordinary love says, "I like you as you are," but real love says, "I cannot let you remain as you are; I must help you become that third, your highest potential." This is why real love is rare and requires immense courage. The speaker explains that ordinary love is about two people liking each other as they are, which is often a state of flaws and limitations. Real love, however, is about helping each other transcend this state. The responsibility in real love is to help the other person reach their ultimate height, and in their company, to reach one's own. This is a profound duty. Applying this to the second question, the speaker advises that if one loves the foundation's work, they should contribute their highest, most powerful resource. Just as in real love, where one dedicates their best for the sake of the 'third,' one should offer their best to the foundation. Everyone has a different primary assetтАФbe it knowledge, a specific skill like IT or video editing, or financial resources. One must identify their most potent resource and offer that. The work of the foundation is a shared responsibility, and everyone must contribute their best to help it advance. The speaker concludes by emphasizing that love is made sacred and pure by the presence of this 'third' entity. Without it, love is merely a worldly, foul-smelling affair connected to the body and lust.
