If we are stretching to live wiser and not just smarter, we will aspire to learn what love means, how it arises and deepens, how it withers and revives, what it looks like as a private good but also a common good. I long to make this word echo differently in hearts and ears–not less complicated, but differently so. Love as muscular, resilient. Love as social–not just about how we are intimately, but how we are together, in public. I want to aspire to a carnal practical love–eros become civic, not sexual and yet passionate, full-bodied. Because it is the best of which we are capable, loving is also supremely exacting, not always but again and again. Love is something we only master in moments. .Krista Tippett
About This Quote
The idea of love as something we can only master in moments is one that is often misunderstood. It has been explored by authors like Tolstoy, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, and others. The idea of love as something that lives on through physical interactions between two people but also beyond the physical interactions, like the work it does to build relationships between people is what this quote is alluding to. It takes work and effort to maintain healthy relationships.
As you think about this idea, it becomes clear that love doesn’t simply mean caring for another person. Love means looking out for their needs and making sure they are cared for the same way you would care for yourself. Love is not just a feeling but a constant action.
Source: Becoming Wise: An Inquiry Into The Mystery And Art Of Living
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