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Love The One You're With

Stephen Stills was my favorite member of the fantastic Crosby, Stills and Nash trio and when the group split up, his solo career took off with a number of hits, like the one mentioned in the title-- what a talent!

Respectfully, I think the times drove the lyrics in a direction that was oriented to others, when the one we're with every moment of our lives, is really ourselves-- and so, the message that we should learn to love ourselves was lost. Oh well; swing and (lyrically) a miss.

I mean, think about it: Who is the one we're with, when we're born? Who is the one we're with when we die? Who is the one we're share company with every single moment of every single day, in between?
We're the one we're with, and we're the person we need to love, most of all.

Traditional wisdom teaches that we have to love ourselves, before we can truly love others. Religions have espoused that concept, for centuries. The science of psychology has embraced it, and common sense confirms it. So, why is the concept so difficult to grasp? I would suggest that the problem is basically, linguistic.

Far too many of us in the modern Western world, the word "love" is only understood in romantic or sexual terms. The Greek language has at least four different words to describe love-- only one of which has anything to do with romance, and only one of which has a sexual connotation. As it turns out, love is an emotion that has several different meanings.

For those of us in the States, just think about Philadelphia (the "City of Brotherly Love") -- there's nothing romantic about that nickname, and there's nothing sexual about it. But it's nonetheless real, and it's something most of us know.

The next time you hear the song "Love The One You're With", try tuning out the lyrics and think about the importance of loving yourself, because you're the one you're with!




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