February is always a neat month, and not just because it is the only month of the year that has less than 30 days. February is the third and last meteorological month of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and the third and last meteorological month of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
Some of my single friends actually call February 14th Singles Awareness Day (SAD). And even though their current relationship status feels somewhat amplified on this day, I enjoy Valentine’s Day because it is an opportunity for all of us to appreciate and celebrate love.
I think it is interesting that in the English language, we only have one word for love. In Greek, they have eight different words for love and it helps explain the many different dynamics of love that exist. They are eros (the root word of erotic, from the Greek God of Fertility, meaning romantic, passionate love), philia (the root word found in Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, meaning love without physical attraction, like friendship), agape (Agape, the name of Aphrodite’s sister, meaning a divine, selfless and unconventional love), storge (meaning the natural form of affection experienced between family members), mania (the root word of maniac, meaning obsession), ludus (the root word of ludicrous, meaning play or game, referring to the playful love meant to describe the affection between young lovers), pragma (the root word of pragmatic, meaning love built on commitment, understanding, and long term best interest that usually results in compromising), and philautia (meaning love for ourselves, because you cannot fully care for others without having the ability to care for yourself).
All of these different words for love in Greek can be confusing when trying to determine which specific love you are feeling towards another person at any given time. Thankfully, I think they can all be simplified and combined into just one word and the ideal it represents: Rotary. The motto of Rotary is Service Above Self, and to me, that motto, put in action, is love in its purest form.
One of the things I love most about Rotarians is that we are People of Action. The Power of Rotary is truly that “Rotary Opens Opportunities.” Rotary provides us an almost unlimited number of opportunities to show our love towards the World, through the giving of our time, talents, and treasures.
One of the best things ever is being able to tell somebody that you love them and then hearing somebody tell you that they love you in return. During this month where we become more aware of SAD people (i.e. “Single Awareness Day”), I invite each Rotarian to be aware of all the other sad people all over the world that are without and that need some of our “Rotary Love.”
When you give to Rotary, you are literally able to say “I love you” to millions of people in need. And after we do this, in my heart and mind, I can feel them say back to each one of us: “I love you too.”
That is the power of Rotary and the true love we exhibit and enjoy when we live Service Above Self.
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