Love! A word that is in such wide use that it defies the imagination to encompass all of its meanings. We use the word to describe a whole array of emotions. We use the word to describe our political agendas (as in "I love the environment."). We use the word to describe how we feel toward other people (as in "I fell in love with her..."). We use the word to describe how we feel toward inanimate objects (as in "I love chocolate.").
Yet when one looks closely at the word, it is used to describe something of ourselves that we think other people might understand. We assume that all people have similar thoughts and feelings and we can connect with people on this subliminal level. Where would the music and entertainment business be without this? It is a universal longing of mankind to love and be loved.
There is a more solid and potent meaning to the word, however, when it describes a principle rather than an emotion. This takes the form of syllogism which generally states: If I love this person, then I will... The action I take in any instance, then, is determined by what I think would truly benefit the person who is the object of my love. In this case, it becomes my personal responsibility to tailor my actions whether they be words or deeds in a way that benefits the person to whom I am directing this action.
When we say we love our fellow man, based on this principle, we want certain things for him: we want him to be free, prosperous, healthy, productive, tall, smart, and good-looking. In short, when we discipline ourselves to make this principle our own guiding principle, we become like a stove: the closer people get to us the warmer they get. Applied to our family, our friends, our community, our nation, what we get is a free, prosperous, just society.
The framers of our constitution apparently had this in mind when they wrote this historic document.
How about it, seekers? Do we have the courage to stand up and take charge of ourselves and take care of the people around us? Do we have the guts to say the word and mean it?
