L is for Loving

It has been a while. And this virtue is also obvious - or I think it is anyway.
The opposite of Loving is Hateful.

There is this amazing scripture from the Bible that sums this up really well. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" 1 John 4:20

Also, "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8

In plain English, if you say you are a believer in God, but you express hate towards others, then you are a liar and don't really believe in God - or really don't believe God, to be more specific.

But what if you are atheist? Is that an excuse to be hateful? Or what if your god is a blood-lusting kind of god, like that of the Aztecs or the famous Baal who had the parents sacrifice their own children? What then?

Well, let's just say, lacking love and being filled with hate is not something good. And most people, God-believing or not, recognize that.

What hate does to the human psyche and to human life... let's look up a few scientific facts about that, shall we?

Here's a Huffington Post article called "Toxic Emotions Can Lead to Serious Health Problems"
And one from the Gilead Institute of America called, "Your Mind Can Make You Sick"
And another one called "How Hatred Transforms Your Brain"
The American Psychological Society had one about "Revenge and the People who Seek It"

Then, of course are the hate crimes...
"The Impact of Hate Violence on Victims"
"The Psychology of Hate Crimes" Pdf

But really, we can see the damage of hate by simply how unpleasant a person who hates is. Hateful people do not attract others unless they are charismatic. Hateful people who gain followers practice what is known as commiseration. That is, getting together to complain or share in misery. But the core of it is Misery.

Really.

For example, perpetuators of hate generally choose an individual or group to blame for their misery. For example: Hitler and the Nazi party blamed the Jews, then later expanded it to anything Non-German. The KKK blame those who are "Blacks" or "mixed-race". The group ISIS blames Israel and America. But these groups created and some still create misery. All the while claiming to have or be one kind of superiority or another.

Ironic, really....
Since I always imagined a superior group of people being the kindest sort. Like someone who lifts people up, helps people improve, does not use force, and everyone gravitates towards them because they want to be like them.

So, Loving...
What does that mean?
In our world today, people confuse love with sex. So, to be clear - the Love we are talking about here has nothing to do with sex - at all. This kind of love is concern for others' needs. Individualistic rather than general. It is personal, and kind. It is the kind of love that moves people to compassion and forgiveness. It is the kind that does not look on outward appearance. It is nonjudgmental. It is patient. It is the essence of virtue. It is the difference between a peck on the cheek and a deep warm hug of a friend.

L is for Loving