Giulia MarchettiHow much love does the world need and how much love we are willing to give it? Billions of people are searching all the time for love, the same billions of people have a huge amount of unexpressed love, that if released to the world, could warm the hearts of any person on this planet, from now to eternity. So, where is the key? If we are not willing to give love, we are less likely to find it, because less of it will be available in the world. That is an amazing discovery, isn’t it?
But what does it mean to give love when we are surrounded every day by bad news due to racism, hate, brutality, and crime? Should we love any human being despite his terrible behavior and his brutal actions? That’s another important key. The lack of love in the world, actually, leads to grave social pathologies. And ultimately, like in a loop, we tend to decrease our love towards others because of crime, and crime increases also because of lack of love. That is another disconcerting discovery, isn’t it?
But, let’s do an experiment! Have you ever hugged an unknown person? Have you ever received a strong long embrace from a person you met for the very first time? You might say that this is impossible while I can tell you that I was lucky enough to experience it, and that was a great example of love releasing, that kind of love our planet needs. How wonderful it is!
But wait, to embrace vigorously a person at the very first meeting is not something anybody can do in a natural way. It’s a feat, it’s an expert gesture that needs years of practice, years spent in caring and helping other people, years devoted to spreading love over the society to build a better world. Years like Victor Geminiani’s attorney career. A career spent tirelessly at work to advocate for defending the rights of poor and less fortunate people in Hawaii.
A Memorable Embrace
It was August 2012, late at night, when I landed for the first time in Honolulu. I could only get a peep of the city lights from the plane window before getting a car and driving to Kailua. Victor was waiting for me to give me his home keys, a gorgeous front ocean cottage where I would spend some of the most beautiful days of my life. I knew him just via email and never would I have expected such a warm welcome. He hugged me so strong and long that I had the time to admire all the constellations above us, its huge stars and the trail of the milky way. “I am Italian like you and we are passionate people,” he said proudly.
The day after I jumped out of the canopy bed, wakened up by the chant of the birds that seemed were giving a concert to celebrate the new day. Outside nature was stunning: a beautiful garden, spectacular colorful flowers, giant green plants, the rocky hill behind the house and the roar of the waves so near. Then my view opened over the amazing Lanikai beach and the infinite ocean and I felt in such a state of amazement that a guy noticed that and came towards me: “It is your first day in Hawaii, isn’t it? Welcome to Paradise!”.
The Other Side of the Paradise
We are told that Paradise cannot exist without Hell, and so also the paradisiacal archipelago of Hawaii cannot be devoid of the hell made out of slums and poverty. And if you are enchanted by the beauty of these islands you can be at the same time shocked by the miserable lives many people, and even children, are forced to lead. In front of this scenario, no one can’t help but cry, and ask oneself what can be done to help the system to provide affordable homes for everybody? What can be done to help the system to find strategies to fight poverty and achieve more equal income distributions? A lot of work is going on thanks to many associations, that provide poor with food, clothing, shelter, and these associations exist because there is so much love people are willing to give to follow these purposes. The kind of love the planet needs the most!
Love Shows Beauty Everywhere
Rome, the Eternal City! Victor and I wandered in the ancient center of the city with the exciting feeling of being the sons of the Great Roman civility. Imperial Forum, Colosseum, Venice Square, Phanteon, Spain Square, Trevi Fountain, ruins and magnificent buildings. For 30 years Victor hadn’t wanted to return to Rome because the memory of the last time he came with his father was too strong and touching for him and he was afraid to spoil that remembrance. I told him that it was instead time to live again that memory and make it stronger, and that is what we did together. And it was just that day that I discovered deeply what there was behind that strong embrace he gave me the first time we met. Yes, just a heart trained to love can give such a hug. The heart of a person with a fabulous education that had the opportunity to be a corporate lawyer in Wall Street, and much more, but who has instead decided to advocate for poor people and devote his life to their rights. Co-executive founder of The Appleseed Center for Law and Justice in Hawaii he spent all his lawyer career fighting for the rights of the least advantaged.
Why did you make that choice Victor, I asked that day? “Because each of us should use one’s God-given talent to make a real difference in other people’s lives, and not just for own needs”. What a revelation it was for me! At that very moment, everything was clear to me: his sensitiveness for art, his passion for nature, his will to travel a lot, his ability to restore vintage cars… It was also clear why one day he got emotional to see how an Italian grocery man cut the ham for him. “He put the slices on the paper with a perfect design and then he wrapped the ham in another sheet of paper, and gave me it like it was an artwork. This is the Italian style, art is everywhere”. Then, I understood that love gives our eyes the power to see beauty everywhere, just like Victor does.
I learned that love is something that must be shared in order to exist, and if you keep it inside of you it’s just an intention, it’s cannot be real love. How many things would have never been done if Victor had kept his love just for himself or inside himself? His intention to love never would have been helpful to others because love exists only when is manifested.
So, how much love the world needs and how much love we are willing to give it? The capacity to love is a blessing and it’s the base of Human Connections, even when we have the perception that we gave it to undeserving people. Love never gets wasted and it’s the only treasure that makes you rich when you share it, because the more you give it, the more you get it!
Thank you, Victor, for making this world richer of love!
