Religion has been something that has been involved in our lives for as long as written history. Praying to a being or beings and having one form their ways and lives in order to satisfy this god or gods has been at the very foundation of civilization since its infancy.
The discussion has changed — even transformed — over the years, decades and centuries. What is right and wrong seems to be more of a social construction than a universal or global standard. A particular action may be customary in one part of the world and shunned in another. A set of beliefs or rituals might be accepted by some groups and rejected by others. From minor local differences, we seem to have created major international issues.
Love, however, is universal. Love is more than a four-letter word, a feeling or even a concept; love is a verb! One does not simply say, "I love you," or, "I'm in love with you;" you have to back up your words up with action. Action, not words, fortifies love. For even though love has its genesis in our hearts, it requires outward demonstration for others to recognize it. One could say that action is the catalyst for love.
Love does not discriminate by gender, color, age, nationality or even creed. Love is a powerful force that blazes a trail all its own. The people of Orlando, Florida, have demonstrated loudly and clearly this word, "love," with its recent actions.
In response to the lone gunman who committed the act of extreme hatred, violence and destruction that took the lives of 49 innocent people, the Orlando community has committed and continued to commit acts of extreme love, tolerance and support love for the affected members of its community. The several seeds of love, planted long before that singular thought of hate became an inception in that gunman's heart and mind, have borne fruit as a city stands united in the face of what it considers an attack on not one group, but its whole community.
The original intent was for the gunman to create a disruption and display hatred for people who found love with other individuals of the same sex. He wanted to destroy the love that they had not only for a particular person, but also for one another as a community. This senseless and selfish act took loved ones from not only a common or social setting, but more importantly, a family — Orlando's family.
Interracial, gay, lesbian, heterosexual or whatever it may be, it is man's desire to create community. It is man's necessity to accept and be accepted. Aren't these the foundations of love? Love knows no bounds. Love reaches out without limit.
Interestingly, all religions, whatever their differences, preach love and tolerance. Yet these teachings have not made reality. What we need in this world is more love and understanding. What this world needs is tolerance and acceptance. John Lennon said it best in his dream and song "Imagine" -- "I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one."
