And I: "When Love inspires me with delightEven Dante took his cues from inspiration, and as talented as he was, he was unable to write on demand. Of all the things that could inspire him, Dante picked Love. It was Love, not power, fame, wealth, talent, beauty, possessions or the accomplishments of self or others that gave him his voice.
or pain, or longing, I take careful note,
and as he dictates in my soul, I write." [1]
In contrast, plenty of attention is paid to everything else aside from Love by today's media, as was probably in Dante's time as well. Love, which we all desire, is far down that list. It is almost undetectable and an embarrassment to verbalize and is equally as invisible as the miracle of our very existence. And love, which is God's nature and ours, us being God's creation, is as much a part of what is required to sustain life as life's most basic necessities.
Therefore, when love is being factored out or when it is being commoditized and monetized in every which way conceivable, we as a society are not well. A society that is sick and when its sickness is denied becomes sicker and sicker and its sustainability becomes more and more like God, hoped for but unattainable.
[1] Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy. The Purgatorio, Canto XXIV, p. 491. Trans. John Ciardi. New York: New American Library, 2003.
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