Time to love, and love hard
These days I feel both compelled and disinclined to write about love.
With Valentine’s Day a week away, as commercial as it may be, I want to write about love in all its many forms. I want to write about how cards and candy and over-the-top gifts are not necessary while taking the time to focus on those we love is.
But at a time when I am nothing less than disgusted and appalled by what is happening to our country, I feel a bit silly writing about making sure you do something special on the day of love. It’s just another day, and, in some ways, it’s just another way to sell us stuff by making us feel bad that we’re not buying enough — and not buying as much as the guy next door.
And then I realized there’s nothing more important to write about, to talk about, to think about right now than love.
Love is what’s missing right now.
A love of country, first of all: There is no way our supposed “leaders” would be doing what they are doing right now if they truly loved this country. We are a country founded on religious freedom, free speech and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; a country that is supposed to be a shining example of liberty; a country that is supposed to be a beacon of hope, a refuge — to all.
A love of humanity: The current administration lacks kindness and empathy. It lacks understanding and joy. It lacks caring and thoughtfulness. It is willfully ignorant and selectively blind to the needs and sufferings of the very people who they proport to care about. They don’t love “we the people.” And “we the people” are this country.
A love of community: Those currently in power are doing their best to tear us down and tear us apart. A common enemy serves no one but those greedy for money and power. The one thing we need more than ever right now is each other. They want to create chaos and mistrust and hate in an effort to divide and conquer.
A love of the environment: There is only one earth, one place — at least for now — where humans can live. The people who are “in charge” have shown nothing but disdain for this big blue marble to whom we owe everything. Without air and water, we cannot survive. Without spirit and grounding sky, we are nothing.
A love of love: The people in the rooms where it happens don’t love anything other than money and themselves. They have no respect for love and those who have it — for themselves or others. They want us to hate. They want us to reject.
They want us to fear and to resign and to eschew love in any form. They want to judge and force conformity. Nothing shows less love than that.
Love is the one and only thing that can save us right now. Save our sanity. Save our country.
Save our democracy. Save our freedom. Save our lives.
We have to love our transgender and non-binary siblings.
We have to love those who came to this country for a better life.
We have to love those who fought for our country.
We have to love those who cannot care for themselves.
We have to love those who cannot move through the world in the same way as others.
We have to love those who pray differently than we do.
We have to love those who speak differently than we do.
We have to love people for who they love no matter who they love.
We have to love love and what it can do for us, how it can fill us and change us and hold us.
They want us to hate. They want us to divide. They want us to fear. They revel in the chaos.
This Valentine’s Day, buy the cards and the candy and the gifts — if you like. But refuse the chaos; call your representatives in Congress; shield those in danger; take to the streets — Because we must.
If we believe that there is no stopping what is happening, if we lose hope, turn a blind eye, resign ourselves — then it becomes true that there is no stopping them.
The only true inevitability is that when we don’t stand with one another for freedom and justice, we fall together into the hands of despots and dictators.
This Valentine’s Day, I want to tell you something: I love you. I love your strength and your kindness. I love everything that is weird and wonderful about you. I love what you bring to the world. And I love how you love your community.
I love that you love.
We can show our love in all sorts of ways.
Right now, we must show it by resisting.