A reevaluation of the scope and purview of love
has had for me the greatest impact on my life.
For many years I was largely blind to a broader point of view. I had seen love primarily as it applied to
relationships between humans and to a certain extent between man and animals;
for example I could love my brother or I could love my dog. Then, of a sudden, I saw that love applied as
well to inanimate processes. The fruit
of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control) had broad and encompassing application. It colored not only human relationships (perhaps
it began there), but extended to all sorts of activities. For some I guess this is obvious for we can
say “I love my work,” “I love my hobbies,”
“I love politics.” But for me
such usage of the term “love” was purely shorthand for “liking” or “inclination.” This understanding fell far short of seeing
love as a pervasive governor of activities.
This latter insight has greatly extended the meaningfulness of my
existence by seeing that I can affirm love in nearly everything I do; and not
only me, but everyone else. This serves
to give great dignity to most any field of labor or activity. A slovenly done job is a great affront to
love. Assiduous care and attention in
doing one’s job is an expression of love.
Yeats said “Sing whatever is well made” and I think in a sense he was
appreciating the wide impact of a loving attitude. From this point of view, every beneficial good
or service pays meaningful tribute to the Creator. How we treat others, and how we engage in
myriad processes signals our reverence for the Almighty. Products of love can include the yields of
agriculture, industry, science, and engineering. Love can bestow its gracious light upon a
laboratory experiment or upon the act of flipping hamburgers at McDonalds. And as love may have originally begun as an
expression of animate relationships, the reinforcement and extension of love
can flow in reverse—from a loving husbandry of process to a spillover into
relationships. Thus, a creative and
loving society will be imbued with light and this will be evident in all it is
and does. In the end we can see that a
healthy society is a loving society filled with a sense of sanctity and
purpose.
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