Love remains one of the most powerful forces for change

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 20 May 2018, 12:00AM

Royal wedding? Big deal. That’s what I thought anyway as I tried to understand why there was such a big fuss about two people getting married. 

It happens everyday when people wed, doesn’t it? And some weddings last less than a day, so who cares?

I knew it was a Royal wedding with Prince Harry and all. I also knew there was a touch of Hollywood involved given the bride’s former role as a movie star. 

Still I couldn’t wrap my head around the whole shebang, especially given the media attention it was given. Everywhere in the world. 

It was amazing to watch the number of people who followed it. You would think that in this day and age people would have moved on from their fairytale fantasies about Princes and Princesses. 

Alas they haven’t. All you have to do is ask the millions, possibly billions or people who followed the live telecast of when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle married at St George’s Chapel. 

The ceremony was followed by a carriage procession through Windsor. Every bit of it was scrutinized closely by so many people – including Samoa thanks to live coverage provided by TV3 and the internet of course. It was fascinating to see.

And that’s when it dawned on me. We live in a day and age where hate and so many bad things are happening around us. Everyday we see death, needless blood shedding, toil, wars and strife dominating the headlines and taking all our attention.

For this one day, it was actually nice to take a break from all that and focus our attention on something a big more positive – like love. True that it was a Royal wedding with all the bells and whistles. But at the end of the day, it was about love, a very public and open declaration of that too. 

A Prince he might be but here is Harry, a mortal man who on this day dedicated his love to one woman in Ms. Markle. That intimacy and union remains one of the most magical exchanges in the world today. 

Regardless of who gets married, the promise of love brings hope. It inspires and reinvigorates especially at a time where there is so much hopelessness. 

This is why weddings are such beautiful occasion wherever and whenever they take place. Corny they might be at times especially if you have been to one too many but it’s better than hate, anguish and separation. That much we know.

Looking at what is happening in Samoa and the world today, we ask ourselves how do we begin to address the scourge of violence and hate? How do we begin to address some of our problems? 

One of the best ways is to love. Yes we know it’s hard to accept this, especially if you have been a victim of any form of violence. The simple truth is violence cannot be the answer to violence. Hate and anger will also not help us get anywhere.

You see to neutreulise the power of anything; we are called to use the strength of something that is its complete opposite. And we know violence is driven by anger, rage, bitterness harboured over time that can no longer be contained and hate. But love, compassion, care and being kind can go a long way towards solving our problems. 

As a Christian country, one of the most basic principles of Jesus Christ’s teachings is to love one another – including our enemies believe it or not.

The Bible’s love chapter says that: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud,” the scriptures spell out. 

“It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Perhaps this is what we should be talking more about today. 

Rather than continuing to magnify the problem, maybe it’s time we magnify the solution. Love we know is one of the most profound and powerful forces in the world today. And it can turn things around. 

Even if it takes a Royal Wedding to remind us.

Have a wonderful week Samoa. 

Give love and you will receive love, God bless!

By Mata'afa Keni Lesa 20 May 2018, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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