Does Love Make You Think of Justice?

Sonnets and songs have been written for hundreds of years to try to figure it out. Ancient philosophers and prophets have attempted to describe its power and effect – on the single individual as well as an entire community.

Love. No wonder we celebrate the entire spectrum of it, from friendship to romantic, every February 14!

Contemporary thinkers continue to wrestle with understanding the profound depth of love’s meaning. Perhaps it’s not only to make sure we recognize it, but to replicate it: practice, demand, repeat love in all aspects of daily life.

Why? Beyond mere emotion, it is a way of seeing your neighbor (friend, partner, the other person!) as someone worthy to care for, do good for unselfishly – to stand up for, to protect and defend.

Love, then, is action.

So what does love-in-action look like?

American philosopher, Cornel West writes: “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” And Mary Baker Eddy, religious reformer, describes heaven on earth as justice and mercy and love and unselfishness – values so deeply embedded in consciousness that they must be expressed, practiced, lived.

That’s it then: Love lived in the public square of life is justice – equal, unequivocal, unconditional.

No wonder we at InspiredtoGive.org celebrate Justice during Valentine’s Month!

Following are some new and favorite posts on Justice + Love:

The Hospitality of Respect and Empathy Yields Kindness and Fairness

A Community of Love Leads to Justice

Podcast: The Superpowers of L.O.V.E. Travis Thomas of Live Yes, And asks, “How do groups of individuals – sports teams, communities, nations – succeed in their goals?”