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200 words, believe, caring, community, compassion, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, duty, Fear, happy, health, integrity, joy, kindness, life, love, peace, Purpose, Relationships
I know of only one duty and that is to love.
At first glance this Camus quote seems strange to me. I mean who would think that love or loving is a duty? Isn’t love a feeling that springs up over time? A luxury afforded those closest to us?
Perhaps it is true for romantic love, but even then, over the long haul such feelings of first attraction dissipate. Don’t they?
No, if anything, love is an act of one’s will. We must choose love over and over again. Often love is not even the easiest choice. Nor is it, or rather should it be, limited to only those who are closest to us. Most times the easy choice is to focus on our own interests, to turn our backs on those who need love the most.
I believe it’s fear that makes us put ourselves ahead of others. And in many ways fear has the opposite affect of love. Fear divides, where love binds us together. Fear says every man for himself where love says no man left behind. Fear builds walls to keep others out, where love builds bridges of inclusion.
~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~
