All we need is love?

Dara Healy writes a weekly column for the Newsday. 

The children of San Juan South Secondary danced and sang at their Christmas concert to the delight of all present.

These inexplicably talented young people have overcome challenging life circumstances to boast of having one of the top junior parang bands in the country, and several other national accolades in the performance arts from Best Village to Kambule.

They, like other talented children across our nation, revelled in the chance to showcase their talents and share the joy of this time.

Children and Christmas are inextricably linked. For instance, the nation feels better that five-year-old Haleema Mohammed was able to have life-saving surgery in India, and she can now be home with her family to celebrate.

Haleema was diagnosed with beta thalassemia major, “a deadly blood disorder which reduces the production of haemoglobin.” She was able to receive the surgery through donations from private citizens and corporate entities.

Further, we honour the prophet who inspired this global commemoration as we share gifts to remember his birth, and to show love to those close to us.

However, the traumas that we battle in our society caused me to wonder about our concept of love, and how we have been socialised about it. We say we love Paris, chocolate, our car, the rain, our family, our dogs. Is it all the same love? Clearly it is not, but do we use the word so much that it has lost its potency and meaning?

It is said that the Greeks recognised seven types of love, from sexual or erotic desire, to self-love, or divine, unconditional love. Essentially, they saw love as an emotion shared between humans. Last year, as he addressed a global summit on humanitarian aid, Pope Francis spoke about the need to be real about what we love.

He stated, “No one loves a concept, no one loves an idea. We love persons. Self-sacrifice, true self-giving, flows from love towards men and women, the children and elderly, peoples and communities… faces, those faces and names which fill our hearts.”

The United Nations notes that over 65 million people were displaced from their homes at the end of 2016. Indeed, “on average, 20 people were driven from their homes every minute last year, or one every three seconds — less than the time it takes to read this sentence.” Yet, research shows that there is a shortfall of about US$15 billion between what is pledged in aid and what is received.

Hip-hop group Black Eyes Peas addressed similar imbalances in 2003 with Where is the Love? “…Whatever happened to the values of humanity/ Whatever happened to the fairness and equality/ Instead of spreading love we’re spreading animosity/ Lack of understanding, leading us away from unity?”

In 1967, John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote All You Need Is Love against the backdrop of tumultuous global events like the Vietnam war, Muhammad Ali being stripped of his boxing championship for refusing to fight in that war, and armed conflict in the Middle East. Artists from the Beatles to Jimi Hendrix used their talent and their star power to make musical statements that they hoped would change the world, and engender greater love for humanity.

Decades later, the world grapples with issues that seem very familiar, sparked by values that run counter to love. This week I watched local attorney Lynette Seebaran-Suite speak passionately about the legislation we have enacted to protect vulnerable populations from the more perverse manifestations of love — whether it be child abuse, incest, domestic violence or child marriage.

Much progress has been made, but the truth is, many of our institutions and authority figures still lack the ability to protect, while certain cultural norms continue to hold us back.

At the concert, we looked on with pride as the children we had trained took the lead as MCs, musicians, dancers and singers. They have also been supported by their principal and teachers, so in many aspects their school has functioned as a safe space.

Yet, the reality is that countless young people in our country still face tremendous difficulties in their homes and communities. Thus, as we approach Christmas against the backdrop of tense national and international realities, it bears considering how we perceive and give love.

Is love all we really need? I think we need much more than love to make the changes in our world, but for now I think soca artist Myron B has the right idea – no gifts, but simply love from his babe for Christmas.

Dara Healy is a performance artist and founder of the NGO, the Indigenous Creative Arts Network – ICAN

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"All we need is love?"

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