Have we forgotten, how to love ?

 It's that time of the year again, when the word Love gets thrown around an awful lot, especially in relation to items such as roses, candle-light dinners and romantic gestures. I personally don't celebrate Valentine's Day, coz I just don't think I should  wait for a certain day of a certain month in a year to think, talk and show love. I am sure when Jesus articulated the 2 greatest commandments to love God and to love others, He meant do it everyday. As inevitably Feb 14 spawns tons of stuff about love, I was reminded how Jesus most pointedly and succinctly viewed love  in Luke 6:32 But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. Ouch, now that's a no-brainer really, it's no sweat to love people who love us.

The other day I went out to the neighborhood shops, intending to ta-pau some lunch back. I was walking along the raised kerb of a very busy side road. The commercial area near my house is always busy, especially at lunch time; cars are indiscriminately double-parked everywhere, obstructing and contributing to traffic jams. Suddenly right in front of me, a lady slipped and fell off the kerb, which was about a foot plus high. I think she was fiddling with her phone, coz as I quickly moved to help her, she kept saying "My taxi is here, can you check for me?" Seems she was more worried about the taxi than her fall. She was trying to get up herself  by hanging onto some water pipes at the side, refusing my hand. 

Finally she gave up and just sat down on the stone kerb. All the while asking me to look out for a silver taxi. I couldn't see any, although many cars passed by. She insisted the taxi had already arrived, according to her phone update. Then I realized it could be at the other corner-side of the road. So I walked over a short distance and indeed, a taxi (red/white, not silver) bearing the number plate she had informed me was parked there, waiting. I waved to the driver to get over to where the lady was sitting. On the way back to her, I gestured to a bank security guard standing nearby who had witnessed the whole thing to come and help me help her up. He came, but he just stood there, watching me. It was difficult, as the lady didn't know how or didn't want to put her weight on me. Meantime the taxi had drawn up and was holding up a queue of vehicles. The driver didn't bother to get out. 

All this time, a stream of people were walking right past us. Most would have been office workers, coming out for their lunch-break or whatever. All were young, at least compared to us 2 old ladies. Me, all white-haired and she, first wobbling unsteadily and then plopped down on the kerb. We were obviously a picture of damsels in distress.  Guess what, not one, I repeat, not one person out of the many who obviously saw us struggling, stopped to even ask if we needed help. They looked, and they passed on. Finally the lady passed me her sling-bag, took my hand so she could haul herself up, and by means of inching around a parked car, I got her into the waiting taxi. Needless to add, no one from the other cars in queue got out either. Well, I guess I should be thankful at least they didn't blare their horns in protest of being held up.                                        

I walked home, with my packed lunch, wondering what's wrong with people these days. Or is it I expect too much? Surely it doesn't take a saint to  extend a hand to someone, anyone, who obviously needs help. Or do we have to record a video, post it on Fb, Ig or Tiktok to elicit a human(e) response from this generation? Is there even any love in us when we see something wrong, but choose to "close eye" and walk on by? Or have we simply forgotten how to love? Since it's "only"  a stranger, someone of a different race, "not my kind" or well, it's not my business, it's too much bother, I am too busy, gotta eat, run to the bank, get back to office. After all, what's love gotta do with it? 

It reminds me of the parable that Jesus told of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-35. Every Christian worth his salt knows the tale of the Jew who was robbed, stripped, beaten and left for dead at the road-side by some bandits. How first a priest and then a Levite (both " good, religious" people) saw the injured man, but both passed him by, taking to the other side of the road. Finally a Samaritan (considered "outcast" of society then) stopped, bound up the man's wounds, put him on his donkey, and walked to the nearest inn, paid for the man to put up there, with a promise to settle whatever else needed to take care of him. If that's not real love, what is?

Maybe some would call it just kindness. Well, actually that's the very first line of the definition of love in the famous Love Chapter  in 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind.... Looks like even in this modern day and age, with so many (so-called) advances in technology and what-not, when we can comment so much so fast about this, that and the other, by just clicking on the computer keyboard or hand-phone pad, yet, we cannot (will not?) do the simplest thing - be kind, love without condition, even when people don't love us back. 

We so easily forget God is ever kind; He loves so much He sent Jesus to die for all mankind, irrespective of whether we would believe or love Him back.  

Roses, presents, heart-felt messages are certainly nice to give and to receive from those we love and are loved by to celebrate a dedicated day. But there's another kind of love, a crazy out-of-this-world love. The kind that Jesus lived everyday up to the day He let Himself be crucified, that which is commanded to those who believe, to  "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." (Luke 6:27-28). 

On that note, I guess I should just go on loving, even those who don't know or have forgotten how to love.