What Is It To Work With Love?

Kahlil Gibran asked this question and attempted to answer it in the quote below:

“And what is it to work with love?

It is to weave the cloth with threads drawn from your heart, even as if your beloved were to wear that cloth. It is to build a house with affection, even as if your beloved were to dwell in that house.

It is to sow seeds with tenderness and reap the harvest with joy, even as if your beloved were to eat the fruit. It is to charge all things you fashion with a breath of your own spirit. Work is love made visible.”

The Bible puts it in another way, ‘whatever your hand finds to do, do it as unto the Lord.’

The truth is that if love underpinned our work ethics and everything we do, we would have better results and the world would be a safer place.

Sadly we live in a world where selfish agendas have driven some people into fake drugs manufacturing, creating buildings that collapse and encouraged the diversion of funds meant for the collective good to the pockets of a few.

Developed nations turn a blind eye to corrupt funds leaving the developing nations and yet claim to be concerned. Even when the stolen funds are discovered, it’s an uphill and costly legal battle for the rightful owners to get it back.

There is blatant abuse of power and position, the stripping of others – people and nations – of their rights, dignity and wealth.

What if we made love more visible in the choices we make, the decisions we support and the way we work?

If that building contractor sees the faces of those whose lives could be taken by a shoddy job, if they made love visible and if they imagined it could be their loved ones living in those houses, how will this alter their actions?

For the fake drug manufacturer, what if it’s your child who accidentally takes the drugs and loses his or her life? How would you feel?

Would you wish they had never taken that drug? If so, will you allow this love for your own child to compel you to SEE other people’s children?

So what does it mean to work with love?

It is to serve with the greater good of others in mind. It is to work diligently even as you are willing to draw a wage and it is to run an ethical business.

As a legislator and politician, it’s to equally and fairly represent all the people that you are responsible for and not just those who voted for you.

It is to put yourself in the shoes of others, thinking about how your daily decisions are affecting your employees, shareholders and customers. It is the fair treatment of other human beings as all men are created equal.

No one’s life is worth more or less than yours.

No one’s happiness is worth more or less than yours or that of your loved ones.

If you have to step on someone to get something, destroy someone’s happiness for a flicker of yours or that of your loved one, crush someone’s dream to achieve yours, then you are simply self-centred and not acting in love.

Good news. Change starts with us. It starts with noticing when we are not working with love and making the necessary adjustments. It continues by us educating others and helping them to work with love.

Our world will only be as good as we are willing and committed to make it. There isn’t an alternative planet so let’s be responsible with this one that we’ve got.

Thanks for reading my post. Do share your thoughts and share the link with others. See you next week.