Love is more than just an emotion
What you need to know:
- In a world where someone’s life can be taken but for a few millions of shillings, where many look the other way because it is not their ship sinking, it pays to be the one that cares and goes an extra mile. When all is said and done, we all want to receive and give.
I have heard the story before. In fact I witnessed it myself.
The story of a family that kept their bedridden mother for 32 years and she had no bed sores.
Firstly, it is possible to be a little amazed by it. But think about it for a moment. Then think about it a little more. Now break it down.
One year, two years, five years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years plus two more. A whole lifetime. At one point, a child was born and they grew into an adult.
That is the length of time we are talking about. Now envision it carefully. That is how long they took care of their mother in a bedridden state. She was paralysed from the chest downwards. That means she had to be lifted up, carried, bathed, fed, and fended for. That is no small feat.
I imagined and asked myself, how they managed to do it? That is not only hardwork, it is unrivalled commitment. In an interview, her daughter answered that they did this because of love. A deep sense of love. She highlighted the fact that love can bring life out of a lifeless situation.
Because they loved their mother, she suffered no bed sore despite being in a situation that exposed her to the possibility for many years. They loved her graciously and meticulously. They not only fended for her but also cared for her unconditionally for decades.
This challenge was enormous and made me think and reflect deeply. But what is to love and what is to care? Surely it must be more than a feeling or an emotion. It appears as if love is actually a decision. The choice one makes to do exceedingly good things to another regardless.
Strangely, doing this brings a sense of fulfilment. In making life of another much better, we find contentment and go away feeling rewarded. In a world full of a series of frustrations, in a place where the norm is to count what benefit one gets from anything and everything, it counts to be the one who turns the other cheek.
It takes extraordinary strength to see the good in those who not only value their lives, but they see no value in others. In a world where someone’s life can be taken but for a few millions of shillings, where many look the other way because it is not their ship sinking, it pays to be the one that cares and goes an extra mile. When all is said and done, we all want to receive and give.
