ENCOURAGEMENT
Does true love exist?

We disrespect each other almost immediately following church service, writes Sowande Uhuru from The British Virgin Islands. The myth that you can simply love God and your actions towards others do not matter is wrong. In order to break the cycle of hate, we must introduce the power of love.

Posted 6:56pm CT Jan. 19, 2008 in Minneapolis, USA
LONDON 00:56 20/1 – JOHANNESBURG 02:56 20/1 – MANILA 08:56 1/20 – SYDNEY 11:56 20/1

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“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God;
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
(1 John 4:7 KJV)

(Republished from BVI News Online by permission of BVI News and Sowande Uhuru.)

By Sowande Uhuru, The British Virgin Islands

I cannot say this with absolute certainty, but I can say with a reasonable amount of confidence that there is someone out there in the world who does not know me, but hates me.

I can say this with confidence because I have witnessed people who have openly declared their hate of someone else, despite the fact that they have never met them or had any interaction with them.

Sometimes people have a strong dislike for someone else for very insignificant reasons, such as the colour of their skin, their manner of dress or speaking, their religion, or their political affiliation. This is a phenomenon that is common both locally and internationally, and I believe that this is tearing our society and world apart. If our people do not embrace love then we will never truly achieve our greatest potential as a community.

Love Don’t Live Here Anymore

I am absolutely amazed by how uncaring we have become for each other. Numerous examples abound. I remember an instance where I saw a woman standing on the side of the road with a young child while it was raining, trying to hitch a ride, and large vehicles with more than enough space sped right pass her. I understand that there are many reasons why someone would not want to give another person a ride, but it also seems that we have become much more reluctant to extend a helping hand to someone who is obviously in need.

Public events provide another illustration of this recent upsurge of unkindness. Queen shows are very popular here in the Virgin Islands. I have witnessed several occasions where contestants have been laughed at and even booed. This has also been the case in different sports events where some participants are also discouraged. And during talent shows many aspiring artists receive little encouragement and, in many cases, only have their talents recognized outside the territory.

The High School experience has been painful for many students. They have been ridiculed by their peers because of their appearance, their family, or even if they make a mistake. How cruel is it to fall down and hurt yourself and have a crowd of people laugh at you rather than help you to your feet and check if you are alright? Unfortunately, incidents such as this are far too frequent.

Generally, it seems that negativity has gripped our spirits. We would rather be a “bad man” than a good man; we celebrate our own ignorance and ridicule those that seek knowledge; even going to jail gives credibility in this day and age. Instead of lifting each other up, we have become content with tearing each other down, and we have learned to enjoy the suffering of our own brothers and sisters.

Are We Really Christ-like?

What is troubling is that many people in this society claim to be religious and “God fearing,” yet they exhibit negativity unashamedly. By far, the most popular religion here is Christianity, but you will find those who consider themselves Christian participating in some unloving acts. This involves speaking behind each other’s backs, saying hurtful things about a brother or sister. Also, despite our religious convictions, we can be dishonest in business matters, relegating our religious principles to Sunday morning church service. And, at times, a Christian brother and sister do not relate to each other in the most positive way, whether it involves a lack of forgiveness, a lack of patience, wrathfulness, or other forms of immorality. This is not an attack on the principles of Christianity, for an individual’s failure to internalize these principles does not mean the principles are not valid, or should not be taught.

I, too, make mistakes despite my moral convictions, but I believe that our focus on ritual rather than on substance has stunted our spiritual growth. We have become more concerned with attending meetings than practising principles; we believe that church is a building rather than the body of Christ, who is a constant example of love; we have sung hymns, shouted hallelujah, but somehow we have missed the point, as we disrespect each other almost immediately following church service.

Love is the Greatest

The King James version of the Bible has many flaws, but even that can reveal the true meaning of what it means to be Christ-like and have a genuine relationship with God. This book makes it very clear that loving each other is an essential, inseparable aspect of true spirituality. 1st John chapter 4 gives great insight into this: “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God: and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love”(1 John 4:7-8). The second to last verse of the chapter says, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”(1 John 4:20). The whole of 1st John makes a significant contribution to this discussion and is worth reading.

These verses clarify that one cannot love God without loving his brother or sister. And so, the myth that you can simply love God and your actions towards others do not matter is proven wrong. The Bible is even specific in terms of what it means to love your brother or sister: “Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7). As these profound verses indicate, love is a way of treating others; if we are not being patient and kind, if we become angry with others very quickly, if we always remind others of their wrongs, we are not being loving and, therefore, not being Christ-like.

The Bible also tells us that those who love God must also keep the Commandments. Matthew 22 verse 37-40 says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” It is significant that this verse makes reference to the law and the prophets as these two commandments correspond to the ten commandments given in the old testament (Exodus 20:2–17, Deuteronomy 5:6–21), focusing on the love of God and the love of brothers and sisters. I would also give reference to “the Forty Two Commandments of Ma’at,” which precedes the 10 commandments. These life guidelines ensure that we manifest the love of God in our daily lives. Many more scriptures could be given to prove the point that love of each other is inseparable from the love of God, for I have only scratched the service. Is there any doubt that love is the greatest? First Corinthians chapter 13 verse 8 says, “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

The Way Forward

We must break the cycle of hate. Many individuals who abuse others have been abused themselves. Their parents, their siblings, their teachers, their peers, their community have fed them with hate, and, of course, what you put into someone, most times, you will get out. If a child grows up being criticized and observing others being criticized, they, too, will criticize; if a child grows up seeing spitefulness and revenge, the child will internalize this. If you put in hate, hate will come out.

In the same vein, if you put in love, love will come out. In a situation where someone is so filled with hate, love is the only solution. In order to break the cycle of hate we must introduce the power of love. This will inspire individuals to abandon their negativity and embrace positivity. And so, individuals must surround themselves with loving people. We must listen to music that speaks of love. We must go to places where people love each other. And in doing so, we can inspire others to abandon their hate.

We must also cooperate with each other rather than compete against each other. We learned to compete against each other during slavery and now again with the establishment of capitalism. The system teaches us to put our own well being before our brothers and sisters, trying to get ahead in whatever way we can. When we rely on each other for our own survival we will have much more of a positive attitude towards each other, for we would not bite the hand that feeds us.

In our current state, transforming our society into a positive and loving place is difficult, but there is strength in numbers. I would personally invite the public to the poetry readings held at Mellow Moods every third Saturday of the month at 7pm. I have been impressed with the spirit of love that has been expressed at these readings. And it doesn’t matter whether you are muslim, Christian, or Rastafarian; whether you are NDP or VIP; whether you are a lawyer or a farmer; love is extended without prejudice. And love is infectious. Once you get a taste of it, you want more and more. So let’s rally together and bring back the love.

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Sowande Uhuru is a lecturer at the H.L.S. Community College and the Director of the Virgin Islands Improvement Association. You can reach him at: viimprovement@yahoo.com

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Copyright (c) 2008 by Alliance News Ltd. All rights reserved. Republished from BVI News Online, January 2008, by permission of BVI News (Alliance News Ltd.) and Sowande Uhuru.

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TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY!

Published in the U.S.A. Copyright © 4T4C News Corp. 2008. All rights reserved.