“The soul of creativity is love.”
Throughout the Western world today, love is on display. Hearts, diamonds, chocolates, champagne and red roses, the symbols are everywhere, usually showered on us by commercial cupids to get us to buy their products. But where is the soul of love in our lives today?
In some parts of the world, such as France, Valentine’s Day is only for lovers; but when I was a child, it was for everyone.
Valentine’s Day was fun. We celebrated at school with small flat cutout cards, 30 to a box, envelopes included. Enough for everyone in my class, we all gave them and we all got them. Not because we were special (though there were always one or two that felt different from the rest), but because we were there… and it was Valentine’s Day.
The love we celebrate today is good old-fashioned romantic love. But it is not the only kind. In ancient Greek, there were four words for love, generally understood today as:
- Éros: romantic, sensual longing, passionate love
- Philia: loyalty, equanimity, enjoyment, virtuous love
- Storge: parental affection, family love
- Agápe: high regard, contentment, unconditional love
In the face of myriad marketing messages of love, it is easy to lose sight of its true creative power to change the world. It was Mozart who put it best for me: “The soul of creativity is love… love… love.” In my experience, the love that flows through a creative spirit encompasses every other kind.
So today, whether your status is married, in a relationship or single, think about the power you have to give. There is nothing more creative than that.
Give love. Live love. Dare to live creative.
Happy Valentine’s Day.
