Many have talked about love, be it unconditional love, romantic love, or self-love, to express their true feelings or manipulate others. I do agree with Che Guevara in the sense that yes, the "true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love." But on the other hand, it also worries me when we blindly take that statement under consideration leaving behind all others that think otherwise.
How does one genuinely carry the virtue of love in their pockets if this so-called love is given only to a selected few? Or better yet, only to those who think as we do? Having love as a virtue allows us to broaden our understanding of the human soul. In doing so, we are asked by life to be a little more considerate, listen twice as much as we talk, and sometimes, silence our irrational feelings of righteousness.
Talking politics, I've seen many using the "flag of love" as the main pillar of their conversation, trying to persuade people to follow them in the name of love - light x darkness. But this very same love has brought nations to war. It has brought neighbors, families, and friends into serious disagreements over who's right - the left or the right? On one side, we hear fervorous protests having love as an act of social revolution. On the other, we hear religious people preaching about a theoretical unconditional love that alone will save us all. And, in between each one of them, we see manipulation and competition.
Being an optimist (most of the time), I consider the love for the self and the love for others as the most revolutionary and virtuous kinds of love there are. According to Billy Ward, "once you begin to open yourself to love, you'll learn to see it everywhere." If we can be free to be the best version of ourselves, the world will be a better place for all of us to agree, disagree, argue, share opinions, change, and be changed for the better of our whole community.
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