A relational ethic drawn from Rabia's pure devotion that reimagines family obligation as unconditional care rather than transactional duty.
Rabia's famous invocation—'I love You with two loves: love of my happiness and love of Your worthiness'—reveals a spiritual practice of loving without calculating return. This directly addresses the tension in modern intergenerational relationships where care can feel burdensome or conditional. Love Without Expectation in Kinship applies Rabia's principle to African kinship structures, suggesting that when elders care for youth and youth honor elders, the motivation is pure devotion to each person's flourishing, not investment in future support. In ubuntu, this means recognizing that 'I am because we are' requires ongoing love-work regardless of immediate benefit. This framework reframes caregiving for aging parents not as debt repayment but as spiritual practice; it reframes mentoring youth not as hope for legacy continuation but as participation in life's sacred unfolding. By adopting Rabia's emotional stance—burning love for the beloved's sake alone—communities heal the resentment that erodes intergenerational bonds and restore genuine mutual belonging.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
Explore related journeys or tell Peri what you're working through.