To call me an old hippie probably isn't wrong for most people. I wouldn't say it, but I do teach my child the world is made of love. That sounds neat, but what does it mean?
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Being in conflict with the world in which we live leads to feelings of sorrow and anger. Our best chance to feel the joy of being alive is to work with our world. To say the world is made of love, then requires us to love.
The term "love" commonly refers to an emotion that we experience. Emotions are wonderful things that can, and should, influence our thoughts and actions. Emotion itself does nothing to our world. It exists only inside of us. Before we can express love, we must define it. Interpretations abound, but many definitions are personal. This is mine:
Love is wanting someone to have good as they define "good"
Simple statement, but it well describes my feeling of love. With this as the definition of the emotion, we arrive at easy action. We express love by helping. Not helping someone have what we think is good for them, but helping them have good as they define it. To force your vision of good on someone else is not love, but a destructive and ultimately awful experience for everyone involved.
"And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make"
-Paul McCartney
Am I a deranged hippie? What is your definition of love?
Let me know in the comments