I recently had occasion to consider the meaning of love and noticed that the Cafe has not discussed or had comments on this universal topic for some time.
In English, Love is a somewhat vague term including feelings and concepts for which the Ancient Greeks used at least three totally separate terms for: Eros, Philios, and Agape.
In his famous essay “Symposium” my pupil, Plato, reported on a dinner party where a group of us discussed the term at some length. Since that time philosophers, psychologists, and poets have been obsessed with the idea (s).
How do you define Love? Is Love important in your life?

A younger friend (almost everyone is younger ) of mine had house guests for the weekend who insisted on watching Fox News exclusively and lectured her on the horrors of Obama and his ilk much to her discomfort. She said she had no idea of the degree of irrational hate and rejection they had of the president and whatever he stood for.
Obama is unquestionably the most controversial president of recent times, in that he engenders the strongest feelings among followers and detractors.
I’m sure part of this is his background – absolutely unacceptable to “traditional” Americans who simple cannot conceive of the idea that the offspring of a hippy and a disgraced african politician and who spent his childhood in Indonesia could actually become the president of the US… and be reelected by a substantial majority!
His training and talent notwithstanding, he has had to face extraordinary opposition among those who are desperate to return to the familiar nation they grew up in – a nation that has changed beyond their worst nightmare.
Obama is the living embodiment of that change … and you can’t ever go home again…
A Culture Change era is always stressful and the present situation is a good example of culture change.

All nations have governments. In a democratic nation such as the US, the government is responsive to the majority desires of the citizens of the nation. That being the case, how can government be separated from the people of the nation? If you say “Government is the problem, not the solution” are you not saying the will of the majority of the citizens is the problem, not the solution? If the will of the majority of the citizens of a nation are not the solution as to how that nation should act, what is?