The Beatles Got It Right

In 1967 the Beatles released their hit song “Love is all you need.” It has taken me 40+ years to realize just how true this is. The other night I heard an old rocker friend, Barry Stagg, sing one of his songs with the following lyric “ The power of love is the only power under the sun.” I was quite moved by the lyrics and began thinking about the truth of them. 

One of Judaism’s ancient Rabbis noted that Leviticus 19:18 “Thou shalt love thy fellow man as thyself” is a fundamental principle. In Christianity this is repeated in Matthew 23:29 where it is noted that the second greatest commandment, after Loving G*d, is to “Love thy neighbor as yourself.” Therefore, regardless of religious tradition, love is a fundamental part. 

How do we show love for others? Think of the way we want to be treated, and treat others with the same kindness. One way I do this daily is by using people’s names. This is particularly true for the person checking me out of the grocery store, the cashier when I get coffee, the waitperson at a restaurant, etc. I know this little bit of kindness is appreciated by the smiles I get back in recognizing the person helping me. 

Then there are the big ways we can show love. Working with the poor and donating to charities; respecting the rights of others and protecting them from those who want to take those rights away. Your challenge after reading this is to find ways to use your power of love.