WITHOUT LOVE IN THE COMMUNITY, OUR CITY HAS NO HEART
AS Valentine’s Day was celebrated this week, the topic of love is on our mind.
A time where we look fondly at our own relationships – with our loved ones, as we also look at what love means in our community.
Because without love in a community, the city is without a heart, and the essence of love is central to the city functioning at an optimum level, for the health and wellbeing of all.
“I love you” is a phrase that is often thrown around very loosely, and come February each year on Valentine’s Day, these three words give people around the world an excuse to pamper one another with gifts, flowers, jewels and dinner promises.
Of course there is nothing wrong with showing your loved ones a token (or two) of your appreciation, but it is equally important for us to use this time of year (or any time of year for that matter) to reevaluate the word “love”.
Is it really only about romantic sentiments, or is there a deeper meaning to this four-letter word?
According to philosopher Aristotle, love is essential to the pursuit of happiness; and that self-love is an entirely proper emotion so long as it is expressed in the love of virtue: As long as you love yourself, not just for the sake of loving yourself, but for the benefits of others.
Of course, there are many types of love as we reflect further on what it means to our inner self.
The first is the love for our creator – gratitude for our life, for our family, for our surroundings.
The second is faith – attraction to the Divine. This love is the origin of all philanthropy and causes the hearts of mankind to reflect the rays of the Sun of Reality, as Plato also uses the image of the Sun to help define the true meaning of ‘good’ noting that the sun sheds light on knowledge so that our minds can see true reality, and through this light we may see the world around us.
The third is the reality of love. Ancient love, eternal love whereby through one strand of this love, all other love exists where we reflect all the virtues and character attributes that represent what is good and decent in life.
The fourth is the love of mankind for each other. The love which exists between the hearts of individuals prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits, such as the love we have for our partners, parents and children.
So while millions of people around the world try and find their loved ones the perfect gift each Valentine’s Day, I say, why don’t we instead show gratitude for the gifts and bounties bestowed on us every day, and value the intrinsic love that exists between each of us, and to take the time to share words of love and gratitude in sincerity.
Love should be seen not as a feeling but as an enacted emotion. To love is to feel and act lovingly.
To explore the depths and meaning of love and its real value, and by recognising in this busy world where we often forget to stop and reflect on what is important in life and remember that where there is love, nothing is too much trouble there is always time.