What if Hands are to Babies as Love is to Us? 👶

I’ve been watching babies a lot recently. Babies have no idea the incredible things they’re capable of doing with their physical bodies. They don’t even realize a body is a necessary part of who they are. Perhaps us adults are similar with love: We have no idea that love is a crucial part of who we are, and we have no idea the incredible things that we’re capable of doing with love. Perhaps love, like a body, is part of how it’s even possible that we experience at all.

(a) At first a baby's hand seems to move randomly in and out of their experience, and they don’t realize it’s part of them that they can use. Like love seems to "happen" to us. (b) Over time the baby gets some capacity to move their hand on their own, but it’s not part of their self-concept. Similarly most of us don't know our capacity to choose love. (c) Then they know it's their hand, and they use it on purpose, but for stuff like mashing random keys on the piano. (d) It may take some years, but with a little practice, the baby will easily coordinate their fingers to make a beautiful song. It may take some years, but with a little practice, I believe we can coordinate our love-fingers to make a beautiful world.

With love, Jordan