Will

by Will Smith

We came to see our marriage as a spiritual discipline—what Bhakti Tirtha Swami called the ultimate “school of love.” This relationship is our classroom—we are learning to cultivate care, concern, and compassion in the most intimate and difficult of circumstances. There are few things in life more challenging than being married. The intimacy tends to stir up and expose our most poisonous inner energies. If we can learn to love here, we can love anywhere. The question is, can we love each other unconditionally, or is our love contingent upon the other person acting exactly as we need them to? It’s easy to “love” somebody when they do what you want them to do, exactly how you want them to do it. But how do you behave when they step outside of your picture? How do you treat them when they hurt you? Those are the times that determine whether or not or not you actually love somebody. Love is hard. It takes enormous courage to open a wounded heart over and over again to the possibility of love’s bliss. Like Charlie Mack always says, “Scared money can’t make no money.” Love demands bravery, a willingness to risk it all. But bravery does not mean the absence of fear. Bravery is learning to continue forward even when you’re terrified. Jada and I agreed that we would ride together for this lifetime, no matter what.