In a world filled with diverse definitions and understandings of love, there’s an aspect often overlooked or distorted: true love is about increasing the freedom of others. This is a profound perspective, especially when we compare it to actions done in the name of “love” that actually lead to bondage and slavery.
Material Love: Freedom from the Prison of Want
When we help those close to us by providing food, water, clothing, or other material necessities, we aren’t just giving. We are giving them life and the freedom to escape the prison of hunger, illness, disaster, or natural calamity. Having these basic needs met frees them from constant fear, allowing them to think, act, and live more fully. This is the first and essential manifestation of love that increases freedom.
When Love Becomes Chains: The Abuse in the Name of Religion and Power
Sadly, many people – even religious organizations – exploit the concept of love to bind and shackle others. In such cases, love is no longer an unconditional gift but becomes a tool to control, manipulate, and serve the interests of the powerful few. They impose rules, regulations, or customs not to liberate but to imprison people in submission.
Jesus warned about this when He condemned the Pharisees: “They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Luke 11:46). They disregarded God’s law – the law of love and freedom – for the sake of human tradition. These hypocrites transformed love into a giant black hole, where power and control replaced grace and liberation.
In authoritarian systems, love is severely abused, turning people into weak, subservient individuals, slaves to officials and authorities. The true purpose of love – to liberate and empower – is completely distorted.
True Love: Grace That Brings Freedom
If freedom is not brought forth, then all given grace is a pretense, not genuine love. True love and grace are when we bring freedom to our neighbors, just as we ourselves need freedom. This is the core of the commandment Jesus gave: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31).
Loving others as ourselves does not mean turning them into our replicas or binding them to frameworks we deem correct. Instead, it means recognizing and respecting each individual’s need for freedom, for choice, and for personal growth. When we truly love, we give the gift of freedom, because we understand that freedom is an essential element for a complete and meaningful life. True love is not chains; it is wings.