an online book by David Gurteen
Love is the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth. Credit: Slightly adapted from a definition by M. Scott Peck
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, or the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food. Most commonly, love refers to a feeling of strong attraction and emotional attachment.
Love is considered to be both positive and negative, with its virtue representing human kindness, compassion, and affection—"the unselfish, loyal, and benevolent concern for the good of another"—and its vice representing a human moral flaw akin to vanity, selfishness, amour-propre, and egotism. It may also describe compassionate and affectionate actions towards other humans, oneself, or animals. In its various forms, love acts as a major facilitator of interpersonal relationships, and owing to its central psychological importance, is one of the most common themes in the creative arts. Love has been postulated to be a function that keeps human beings together against menaces and to facilitate the continuation of the species.
Ancient Greek philosophers identified six forms of love: familial love (storge), friendly love or platonic love (philia), romantic love (eros), self-love (philautia), guest love (xenia), and divine or unconditional love (agape). Modern authors have distinguished further varieties of love: fatuous love, unrequited love, empty love, companionate love, consummate love, infatuated love (limerence), amour de soi, and courtly love. Numerous cultures have also distinguished Ren, Yuanfen, Mamihlapinatapai, Cafuné, Kama, Bhakti, Mettā, Ishq, Chesed, Amore, charity, Saudade (and other variants or symbioses of these states), as culturally unique words, definitions, or expressions of love in regard to specified "moments" currently lacking in the English language.
The color wheel theory of love defines three primary, three secondary, and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional color wheel. The triangular theory of love suggests intimacy, passion, and commitment are core components of love. Love has additional religious or spiritual meaning. This diversity of uses and meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, compared to other emotional states.
Credit: Wikipedia - loveThe Road Less Traveled, first published in 1978, is a self-help and psychology book by M. Scott Peck. It covers topics like discipline, love, religion, and grace. The book’s overarching theme is that spiritual and psychological growth requires effort, or work, on the part of the individual. Peck argues that life is difficult and that … Continue reading The Road Less Traveled M. Scott Peck (1978)
One person always loves more. That’s what makes it so difficult. And the one who loves more is vulnerable. Credit: Max in the film Nowhere in Africa Source: Nowhere in AfricaPosts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to … Continue reading One Person Always Loves More Max in the film Nowhere in Africa (2001)
Someone once told me that the power in all relationships lies with whoever cares less, and he was right. But power isn’t happiness, and I think that maybe happiness comes from caring more about people rather than less … Credit: Connor Mead in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past Source: Ghosts of Girlfriends PastPosts where … Continue reading The Power in All Relationships Lies with Whoever Cares Less Connor Mead in the film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (2009)
Gurteen Knowledge Blog June 19, 2021, 21:05I have long thought that to help cure many of the ills in the world that all we needed to do was “to care more.” To care more about each other and to care more about our planet. To say that “love is the answer” seemed a little too twee, … Continue reading Is Love the Answer? It may seem corny, but love is the answer
Gurteen Knowledge Blog January 28, 2024, 20:53I watched the film “Nowhere in Africa” on a plane trip some years ago and jotted down this quote from the movie. In the film, Max, Jettel’s father-in-law, says this to her about his son. It resonated with something I have long felt — that in a relationship, the one … Continue reading The One Who Loves More Is vulnerable
It may seem corny, but love is the answer. Credit: Elon Musk Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to admit when we are wrong Al Jazeera Cafe An interesting experiment not to deabate but engage in a global … Continue reading Love Is the Answer Elon Musk
Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. Credit: Dalai Lama Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to admit when we are wrong Al Jazeera Cafe An interesting experiment not to deabate but engage … Continue reading Love and Compassion Are Necessities, Not Luxuries Dalai Lama
You can’t make someone love you. You can’t force respect. You can’t mandate care. And you can’t build community. Please be careful with talk of building community. Community is a consequence of many contextual relationships intertwining over time, more like a meadow than legos. Credit: Nora Bateson Source: TwitterPosts where this quotation is embedded A Brief … Continue reading You Can’t Build Community Nora Bateson
Posts where this video is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to admit when we are wrong Al Jazeera Cafe An interesting experiment not to deabate but engage in a global conversation Banter with Care Banter: the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks Benjamin … Continue reading Love Your Enemies — Disagree Better, Not Less Arthur Brooks
Posts where this video is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to admit when we are wrong Al Jazeera Cafe An interesting experiment not to deabate but engage in a global conversation Banter with Care Banter: the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks Benjamin … Continue reading Love Your Enemies — Say No to Contempt Arthur Brooks
Our faith in love and justice calls upon us to build a better world than the one we have found. It calls upon us to give back to the world all the good things we have received, so the less fortunate or most vulnerable members of our society get a chance to achieve a life … Continue reading Our Faith in Love and Justice Calls Upon Us to Build a Better World Andrea Bocelli
Gurteen Knowledge Blog October 2, 2022, 14:35I am a big follower of the work of Dave Pollard. I only ever met him once, many years ago, but through his writing, he has considerably influenced me over the years. His insights into the nature of conversation and complexity never cease to provoke my thinking. Although his predictions … Continue reading Change Emerges From Conversation in Community with People You Love Dave Pollard
Spirituality means a deep appreciation, respect, and love for the universe, the world, all life, and humanity — a sense of connectedness, awe, wonder, and curiosity — a deep understanding of being human and alive. Credit: David Gurteen Posts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We … Continue reading The Meaning of Spirituality David Gurteen
We’re crazy, We’re living on crazy ideas about love, about relationships, about happiness, about joy, about everything. Credit: Anthony de Mello Comment: This quote by Anthony de Mello poignantly implies that many of our conventional notions and societal narratives surrounding deeply human experiences like love, relationships, and happiness are fundamentally flawed or “crazy” ideas that … Continue reading We’re Crazy Anthony de Mello
There really are people and institutions made up of people, who respond with hatred in the presence of goodness and would destroy the good insofar as it is in their power to do so. They do this not with conscious malice but blindly, lacking awareness of their own evil — indeed, seeking to avoid any … Continue reading On Evil Scott Peck
“What is love?” “The total absence of fear,” said the Master. “What is it we fear?” “Love,” said the Master. Credit: Anthony de Mello Source: AwarenessPeople: Anthony de MelloAnthony De Mello Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapistBooks: Anthony de MelloAll Is Well Anthony de MelloAnthony De Mello Indian Jesuit priest and psychotherapistAre People Untrustworthy or Is … Continue reading Fear and Love Anthony de Mello
I define love thus: “The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” Credit: Scott Peck Source: The Road Less TravelledPosts where this quotation is embedded A Brief History of Knowledge 200,000 years of human history Admit When We Are Wrong ** We find it difficult to admit when … Continue reading The Definition of Love Scott Peck
Engagement ** The Difference Between Responsibility and Accountability Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter It is often suggested that offering rewards is necessary to motivate people, particularly when it comes to sharing their knowledge. However, this strategy is ultimately ineffective and potentially harmful in the long run. In his book Punished by Rewards, Alfie … Continue reading Punished by Rewards Loving what you do is a more powerful motivator than any goody
