Earlier this year, I studied and thought about how best to achieve what I believe to be the foundation for a positive ethical system, and that is to love your neighbor as yourself. This is a principle that has been taught and espoused by many wise leaders and sages, most notably Jesus/Y’shua. I will break it down here.

• Love = serving with joy. These two components make up what I see as love: service and enthusiasm. This includes all kinds of love. For example, if I said I loved playing the piano, that would mean that I derived great joy and satisfaction from practicing it a lot (“serving” it).
• Your neighbor = anyone whose need you see and are able to meet. I don’t usually initiate finding people to love or block out time to “love” or decide who I will love. Instead, I live my life and seek to fulfill my goals, all the while looking for opportunities to show love and discern people’s specific needs that I can help meet.
• As yourself = the way you love yourself by default. C.S. Lewis said it best, “When I look into my own mind, I find that I do not love myself by thinking myself a dear old chap or having affectionate feelings. I do not think that I love myself because I am particularly good, but just because I am myself and quite apart from my character. I might detest something which I have done. Nevertheless, I do not cease to love myself… You dislike what you have done, but you don’t cease to love yourself. You may even think that you ought to be hanged. You may even think that you ought to go to the Police and own up and be hanged. Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained.”

I want to put this concept at the forefront this month. I am not planning any service projects or specific ways of loving others. I simply want to live consciously and always be aware of those opportunities to wholeheartedly perform small acts of service. This could include writing a note of gratefulness, listening to a friend, cleaning up for someone else, or helping someone with their responsibilities.

Really, I want this to my attitude all the time. Hopefully this month will kindle a loving spirit in me that never dies out or fades.