“The concept ‘neighbor’ is really a reduplication of your own self; the ‘neighbor’ is what philosophers would call the ‘other,’ the touchstone for testing what is selfish in self-love. Insofar, for the sake of the thought, it is not even necessary that the neighbor should exist. If a man lived on a desert island, if he developed his mind in harmony with the commandment*, then by renouncing self-love he could be said to love his neighbor.”
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~Source: Works Of Love (1847)
Author: Soren Kierkegaard
*Commandment: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
julettemillien said,
September 5, 2008 at 9:49 am
This is profoundly simple and simply profound! Only IF we could get this, the world’s problems would vanish. The separation between us all is so artificial and really ego based. Not love based.
Thanks for the reminder, I’ll dedicate today (one step at a time) to BEing my neighbor.
rosepena said,
September 5, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Thanks so much for your kind and encouraging words. What a blessing to know that someone else “gets it.” That’s what makes the effort worthwhile!
One person at a time…