What is A Love Movement?

What is "A Love Movement?"

What is "A Love Movement"?

Simply put, my vision of "A Love Movement" is an effort to begin exposing people to the very real benefits and realities of Love. Of treating each other, and ourselves, in a method and mode where Love is the first and primary consideration. This is not some flight of fancy or some ultra-liberal perspective. It is actually a seemingly very practical way to introduce more peace and positive influences in our collective lives.

From birth, we have been taught, that newborn babies who are ill, with whatever chronic disease or conditions, have a much better chance of survival if they feel the Love from a caring parent or caretaker. There have been a myriad of studies which have proven how crucial Love is to the development of children in general. Children who experience Love abundantly are less prone to drug use, violence, failing grades, and a host of other issues. From our earliest moments, it is Love that reveals itself to be one of the most important aspects of the human condition.

I heard a wonderful example today of someone's first recognition of Love. As a child, she was sick, throwing up, she wondered how her mother could stay with her and be witness and party to that. Yet, her mother basically responded, "This is what you do when you Love someone."

In the promotion of Love, there are other areas which must be recognized as well. Among them -- honesty, respect, fidelity, sincerity, acceptance, trust and self-realization/actualization.

Because Love, simply put, is not enough. Yes, it is wonderful, and probably one of the greatest gifts we have ever been given. It is something that can work wonders and destroy dreams. But if we fail to respect Love, if we fail to treat Love in a respectful manner, we risk running afoul of our very nature, of the very way we wish to live our lives.

Not enough people respect the power of Love, nor are enough people aware of the very real and positive effect Love can have. And we do have those who would try to minimize these issues, who would cast it off as something that is not really that important. Issues like money, food, property, clothes, politics, religion, material issues -- all of these are more important than Love. And you can have all of these things without Love. While that is true, these things are enhanced by Love.

What is Love?

Unfortunately, Love is one of these things that is hard to define, because it means different things to different people. If you asked 10 people to tell you what Love means to them, they will each give you 10 different answers, each valid for their own experience. So while I can't define what Love is for anyone but myself, the only thing I can do is say the one recurrent theme of Love deals with at it's core, that you treat people in a way you want to be treated, and that you don't use your expression of Love to hurt others.

While people are free to express and define their Love in any manner in which they see fit, we must always be aware that Love never seeks the subjugation of another, never seeks another’s demise, never seeks to control or berate. With Love, we should want not only the best for ourselves, but for those around us.

What do we teach about Love

We have been sold a bill of goods when it comes to the expression of Love. By it's very nature, by it's very concept, Love is a progressive, forward thinking, benevolent attribute. Love is something that adds to the overall picture of someone's life, not something that seeks to distract from it. We seem to have been taught that Love is not Love unless it controls, manipulates, or even kills in the name of that which is "good" or "right".

We have been taught, mainly by our religious and governmental institutions, that Love is something that can not only be controlled, but legislated. That Love can and should be restricted because, in the ideas of some, too much Love can be bad.

Yet, when we really think about Love, it is not something that can be restrained. It is something that has to be free in order for it to have it's fullest expression. This does not mean we Love without consequences. What it means is that we teach that one of the ways to live a life of peace and productivity and yes, happiness, is to allow ourselves and others around us to feel their own Love and our Love for them in the most unconditional way possible. That there is no shame in Love. Sometimes there can be fear, and that is acceptable, but the key seems to be working through the fear, not letting the feel control you.

Conclusion, for now

As the days and times go on, I will be formulating my thoughts on these aspects. It is my belief that the more we Love, the more we teach about Love, we will have an effect on the whole. And if our goal is a better life, then that better life, in my opinion, begins with Love.

Chuck Smoot

October 2, 2005

(to read more about developments with "A Love Movement", please visit the A Love Movement Live Journal Blog.

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