Defining Love

Given my first post, I think it is important to provide context on how I am thinking about love. I again look to bell hooks, who defined love as action, where “to truly love, we must learn to mix various ingredients – care, affection, recognition, respect, commitment and trust, as well as honest and open communication.”

In All About Love, bell hooks is clear that self-love is inextricably intertwined with one’s ability to love another and that love and abuse cannot coexist. She is inspired by M. Scott Peck’s definition of love – the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.

As we think about our workplaces, how different would our experiences be if we were all grounded in an ethic of love that we actively and consistently demonstrate to ourselves and to our colleagues? I do not believe that doing so will cease all challenging experiences and that the need to make tough decisions would end. I do, however, believe that a love ethic would simultaneously honor our own and another’s full humanity, as a love ethic acknowledges our interdependence and connectedness.

As you reflect on your work experiences, in which instances could you have shown up with a love ethic for yourself? What can you do now to demonstrate a love ethic for yourself? How would your engagement with others at work change if you were grounded in a love ethic?