What, then, is Love? - a podcast by Roy H. Williams

When a thought knocks politely on the door of my mind, I open the door and entertain the thought. But when an unseen thought shines into my mind through a skylight, I am always startled by the mystery of how words-not-my-own came to echo in my empty skull.

“What, then, is Love?”

Those four words, like the feet of a proud, white goat, prance in the snowy landscape of my mind.

“What, then, is Love?”

Unable to escape the music of those words, I will do my best to answer their question:

“What, then, is Love?”

Low-voltage love is a noun. It is something you feel. It surrounds you and you are “in” it.

High-voltage love is a verb. It is something you do.

E. W. Howe was 5 years old when Teddy Roosevelt was born, and he was 10 when the American Civil War began. E. W. Howe died 85 years ago. But while he lived, he said,

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.”

In those 25 words, we see love as a verb; love with its sleeves rolled up.

Love as a noun comes and goes but love as a verb comes to stay. “For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health…”

Alexander the Great died 323 years before Jesus was born. Alexander loved adventure and battle. He felt it, was surrounded by it, and was “in” it. Jesus loved people. He fed them, healed them, encouraged them, and died for them. Verb, verb, verb, verb.

Alexander and Jesus both died at the age of 32.

During the 12 years that Alexander was conquering and ruling the world, his soldiers taught every nation a simplified form of Greek so that everyone could understand what Alexander was saying. This “Koine” Greek became the world’s first international language.

The entire New Testament – including all the stories of Jesus – were written in the “Koine” Greek of Alexander, a language with four different words for love, although only two of them were used in the New Testament. The two that do not appear are:

Eros: sexual love.

Storge: the love between members of a family.

The two words for love that appear repeatedly in the New Testament are Philia and Agape.

Philia: the love between close friends.

Agape: sacrificial love; “I care about you more than I care about me.”

The Harvard Grant Study is the world’s longest running and most comprehensive psychological study, and it talks about love. The study says the happiest people are those who have chosen to do 5 things.

(5.) suppress unproductive and distressing thoughts,

(4.) maintain a realistic view of the future and its difficulties,

(3.) turn frustration and anger into productive energy,

(2.) make light of stressful events,

(1.) focus on the wellbeing of others.

The world’s longest running and most comprehensive psychological study says the secret of happiness is to see love as a verb, something you do: focus on the wellbeing of others.

Albert Schweitzer was a polymath. He was a physician, philosopher, musicologist, theologian, humanitarian, and a writer. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952.

On September 4, 1965 – the day Albert Schweitzer died – the song “Help!” by the Beatles, went to #1 on the charts. Do you remember the lyrics?

When I was younger, so much younger than today,

I never needed anybody’s help in any way.

But now these days are gone, I’m not so self assured,

Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I’m feeling down.

And I do appreciate you being ’round.

Help me get my feet back on the ground.

Won’t you please, please help me?

Albert Schweitzer spoke of love and happiness in much the same way the Harvard Grant Study spoke of love and...

Further episodes of Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo

Further podcasts by Roy H. Williams

Website of Roy H. Williams