In the garden yesterday I watched a puss in turn watching a little robin. This puss loves birds! But not quite in the same way as a twitcher (I think that is the word for a human bird watcher). Yes, the puss really loves birds. He wants to be so intimate with them that he tries to put them in his mouth! He loves them to bits!
I guess the message is that love means different things to different people (and to a cat). It isn’t just the romantic candyfloss love of novels or films, though of course that is one legitimate aspect. It can be the love between parent and child, or love between good friends, or even the love we are challenged to have for our enemies.
Loving people includes believing in their potential, treating them with respect, kindness and gentleness, celebrating their successes and cheering them on. It should not include the puss’ love for birds and definitely should not include the love that cannibals have for a good meal (or seeking the equivalent when you destroy another person for your own advantage).
Does loving a person necessarily mean always being available to them? Surely not, because that can breed resentment and in any case is inconsistent with your duty to love yourself. Similarly, loving others does not mean always doing what they ask for - because you thereby make them less likely to develop their own resources and potential, and again you are not loving yourself. You are not a doormat!
Is it loving to tell someone how brilliant or capable they are? Hmmm. Sometimes.
Is it loving to always listen carefully and fully to what someone wants to tell you? I would think in nearly all cases the answer is yes. But don’t be judgemental!
How about this for a rule of thumb? Everything that I experience from another human being is either love or a call for love.
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