The greatest gift a man can give is love, but the greatest sacrifice a man can offer is by dying for love. In a world where love has gone so far away from the hearts of many due to neglect and lack of understanding towards what love can do, we have become more like robots in its field. Living our lives so independently from each other forgetting that we each other to survive through the wilderness of life. We have all heard this great philosophical statement about life which says; if a man wants to walk faster, let him walk alone but if he desires to go farther, let him walk with others. Now, the pertinent question is that we have forgotten that we need each other to survive. Take a look at the animals; whenever it wants to scratch its back, it goes to a tree or any other static object just to help itself. What does this teach us, humans? It makes us understand that no one is an island and the creator has made it so that we must try as much as possible to be each other helper whether in the family, outside the family, at work or even amid strangers.
Have you bothered to ask yourself this question; is anyone a stranger? For us to have a better understanding of the word stranger, we must try to define it a little. Let us try to look at what the English dictionary says about the word stranger. A stranger is a person whom one does not know or with whom one is not familiar. It goes ahead to say that stranger is also a person who does not know or is not known in, a particular place or community (source). Looking at the above definitions, one can say that anyone is not familiar or known by another person either in a particular environment or community is known as a stranger. If that is the case, let us look at the boundaries surround the word stranger. Someone unknown, unfamiliar, foreign or alien is categorized as a stranger. In the circle of humans, the greatest question to ask when it comes to establishing who a stranger is should be, how long does it take for someone to move from being a stranger to an acquaintance?
The question above is what every one of us must critically look into with the mindset of love which is the first debt we owe to each other. If it takes nothing less than a minute for someone to turn from being a stranger to a familiar person, why then do we put this barrier in-between ourselves? I have heard stories where someone who was in a great danger was saved by a total stranger just because the stranger’s heart was filled with love. The act of love is one which transcends beyond mere human barriers which causes misunderstanding and unnecessary division. If we say we love, does it matter if the person is a stranger or not? I have heard about great love stories which happened between two individuals who were total stranger at the beginning but they decided to give love a chance and the rest became history. As we are in this week of love, where everyone is already living in the euphoria of valentine, let the love we share be that kind of love that transcends beyond human barriers and understanding.
If we say we love, we must be able to go an extra mile with whoever we come in contact with. The problem most times is that when we meet people especially those we perceive as strangers, we have already developed this mindset that they are strangers therefore we do not open our hearts to show love. I strongly believe that anyone who does not love a stranger at the first instance does not have true love in him. Remember that love cuts across every boundary of human existence. As we celebrate and show love in this season, let our hearts be filled with a greater love for those we do not know and have not seen because that is when the sacrifice of love becomes more real. We must understand that we are all humans therefore we need each other to survive. As a human being, I cannot go to a tree to scratch my back rather I will go to the nearest person around me to help me out whether they are strangers or not.
We must have a rethink on loving one another. The stranger should be so tightly held on to when we are dealing with each other. Nations and countries must learn to love one another if we want to have a world where harmony will be the order of the day. To the one reading this, you may be from the west, east, south or even from the northern part of the world, I want you to join me in spreading this word because we are here for every one of us. No one is an island, therefore, we need each other to survive, so see me not as a stranger but as your distant relation who you may end up not meeting in person but who you are genuinely loving from a distance. Let true love for each other lead the way in all that we do.
Whatever you do there always be love. Indeed that love is also the reason for us to be united.