LOVE NEEDED FOR THE REBIRTH OF GUYANA

Apr 12, 2017 Editorial, Features / Columnists

In the midst of all its problems, Guyana needs love. Love is perhaps the only thing that the country has too little of. Love cannot be purchased. One can invite love, but cannot dictate how, when, and where it expresses itself. Love strikes like lightening, it is unpredictable and irrefutable and it does not come with conditions, stipulations, agenda, or codes. Like the sun, love radiates independently. It is inherently free.
Everyone is captivated by love which has been an enduring attribute of the human experience through the ages. Love continues to be the focus of most, especially on Valentine’s Day, which is specifically set aside for the celebration of lovers.
However, it so happens that when people think of love today, they tend to make an automatic association with romance—the kind of love which exists between a man and a woman or between two people of the same sex.
This is hardly surprising because people are constantly bombarded with images of romantic love, especially of the sexual type. This kind of love is always used in marketing to drive demand for various goods and services. As a result, it is easy for many to be confused about the true nature of love.
Love extends beyond the narrow definition of romance. Its preoccupation with romance stems from the limitations of the English language which has one word for “love” but there are seven words in ancient Greek with different and distinct meanings. The Ancient Greek was chosen because it is the original language of the New Testament in the Bible which, as a pillar of Christianity, has had extensive influence on Western civilization, including Guyanese. Christians see God as the perfect expression of love.
The seven concepts of love mentioned in ancient Greek are: Storge: the love of family, Philia: the love for friends, Eros: sexual and erotic kind of love, Agape: unconditional or divine love, Ludus: playful or childish love or flirting, Pragma: long standing love, such as in a married couple and Philautia: the love of one self. Our focus is on “philautia” —love for one self.
The old saying that it is impossible to love another person without first loving oneself rings true in the nation with so much love, yet so little to share.
We can never really love anyone else unless we love ourselves. Guyana is a narcissistic society where everyone is for himself, sometimes at the expense of others. The year 2017 should be an opportunity for us to love ourselves and also love our friends and neighbours.
In his great treatise on love in Corinthians 1:13, St. Paul gave a beautiful description of what love should be like. He identified love as the most powerful of all forces: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres.
Love never fails. We must love one another.
As Guyanese, we spend our time and effort tearing down others when the same time and effort could be better spent on loving others and lifting them up. The practice of love should be anchored in genuine concern for others.
Love is needed for a moral and spiritual rebirth of the country and the world at large. It begins with learning to love ourselves and others.

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