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200 words, apathy, community, compassion, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, Fear, Good Samaritan, integrity, kindness, life, love, peace, Purpose, Relationships, The Golden Rule, world issues
Insofar as an appropriate degree of self-love is received, held, enjoyed, trusted, and participated in, this is the same degree to which love can be given away to the rest of the world. You can and you must “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Matthew 19:19)—for your own wholeness and for theirs. Without this full flow in and out, we frankly have many “constipated” believers. – Richard Rohr
In yesteryear if you weren’t putting others ahead of yourself, it was frowned upon. You were selfish, self-centered, entitled, narcissistic. After all, you must ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
I didn’t really catch the ‘as yourself’ bit until I was in my 40s. What a relief! I could also love myself, set healthy boundaries, take steps toward self-care. Live in peace and harmony with you.
But when I see what’s happening in the world today, how horribly we humans treat other humans who don’t think like us, believe like us, live like us, I wonder has the pendulum swung too far. Has it become all about me and how my corner of the world is affected by you? Do we now fear instead of love our neighbor?
~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~
talktodiana 
Diana I don’t watch the news that often any more because it thrives on showing us the worst of human nature. It is worrying that we still do not have acceptance of others, that we hate instead of trying get along.
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It is Kath. Sometimes I wonder how I can make others understand this. But that’s not really realistic or within my ability, for me anyway, all I really can do is “LIVE THIS” myself. ❤
Diana xo
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Children start out with love in their hearts……sad it is taken away somewhere along this life, we have lost our way. xxx
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yes and we talk them out of it… I think anyway
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Diana, Thought provoking post.
Unfortunately for too many today, they love their neighbor unless their neighbor is in need. They don’t fear their neighbor, but they do fear sacrifice.
-Alan
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I suppose that is true of some Alan. Thanks for your kind comment. ❤
Diana xo
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Lots of wasted energy on hate and apathy..very sad and frustrating.
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Yes it is Jean. ❤
Diana xo
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Up until your last sentence you’re talking about something that began in the 1970s, the infamous “Me” decade. It’s just gotten worse since then. Increasing secularization may have something to do with it, but for a variety of reasons we’ve become a very inward-focused. Taking Maslow’s idea of self-actualization to the extreme while forgetting community.
But fearing our neighbors isn’t the opposite of not loving them. Indifference is the opposite of not loving. (Fear is just love twisted darkly. Negative love.) We’re certainly in a climate of fearing others, but that’s not new. It’s just being very amplified by the sheer size of the global village.
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A very interesting take Smitty. I have often heard it said the apathy is the opposite of love. Maybe fear is the absence of love, at least loving mankind enough to understand another.
Twisted darkly Negative Love would be a cool name for a punk band Smitty! ❤
Diana xo
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Fear, like love or hate, is one of those consuming emotions that tend to wash away rationality. With love that’s not such a bad thing. With fear or hate, it definitely leads to problems much more often than not.
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Ain’t that the truth!
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It has swung way too far. I’m with you Diana.
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I knew you would be David! ❤
Diana xo
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I think the worst of it is that there is money to made off of fear. And reporting and constantly pushing it out by the media reinforces it’s value. When there majority of us want to do for, and with, our neighbors. Great post to make us think Diana.
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So true Colleen! You know I once heard that crime went down in LA, but the reporting of crime on the news went up and therefore people were more anxious than before. ❤
Diana xo
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THAT I would believe.
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Many people find it so easy to mistrust others over loving and trusting them to love and trust others you have to open yourself to hurt, to love and trust yourself is for so many harder as it means saying to ones self hey I may not be perfect but I am a good person
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Very insightful Jo-Anne! ❤
Diana xo
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Great post Diana. There is only love or fear, and sadly, it is often fear that leads our society. I must say though, I am so impressed with Justin Trudeau! What a wonderful example he is for all the leaders in our world. 🙏🏻
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(smiling) I will pass that on Karen! ❤
Diana xo
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I wish it were so simple. Love you as I love myself — perhaps it is that there is little ‘self-love’ and thus, hatred and fear grow rampant.
❤
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Or not enough folks putting you ahead of themselves… everything I connected. Love you my friend. ❤
Diana xo
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Thank you for your thought-provoking post, Diana. I believe that all neighbors are worthy of love, and some are worthy of fear.
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You’re welcome Russ and thanks for your perspective. ❤
Diana xo
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You would think that with everything that has occurred in history, we would be doing better in getting along by now. Instead, it feels sometimes we are going backwards. So much hate, bigotry, and aggression. 😦
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It seems that each new generation has to learn this through their own personal experience in the world, doesn’t it Jennifer? ❤
Diana xo
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To be fair, many things have improved compared with when Matthew wrote his words, at least in most parts of the world. I believe that progress is trending up, although it is hard to see when there is still so much suffering and intolerance in the world. We should remember that war, violence, slavery and poverty characterized most of human history.
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Yes, that’s true Steve – onward and upward, right? Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. ❤
Diana xo
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