Love as Verb

During today’s service, Reverend Tricia repeated a question another Reverend asked her… “How can anyone tell that ___ is what you want to do with your life?”

This question came after stories of love propelling her and other congregants to do things they had no clue how to do. She said that being a UU invites her to love. Ultimately, love is an action. Love is expressed through action.

The Reverend’s question reminded me of a devastating quote one of my classmates wrote this week: “Contrary to my expectations, I found my undergraduate experience largely defined by political inactivity.” Many of my classmates share this sentiment, and I fundamentally do not understand ways of being that allow political inaction.

Of course, my undergraduate experience was defined by political activity. Defined by being in this place, and the active decision to love this place and her beings. I am a guest here, and I have a responsibility to care for the beings here well.

I’ve spent the past four years organizing, joining Sunrise Middlebury while still in my hometown, moving to Migrant Justice solidarity, reproductive justice, queer and trans youth empowerment, anti-death public art, and anti-fascist safety work. In response to a June 2023 anti-Trans speaker at a local school, I worked with impacted youth to organize a joyful counter-protest. As I wrote in a LinkedIn post that summer, “loving my community and the youth I work with requires political action.” That counterprotest is only one of the hundreds of days I’ve dedicated to political action these past 4 years. I politically organize because I love.

I honor that love can appear in many forms. My love in action appears as distinctly political action. Maybe it does not need to, but my love will be political until violence is no longer directed at the beings I love. If that violence ever stops, my love must expand to encompass the next targets of injustice.

How we spend our days is how we spend our life. If you seek political activity, you must act. No one can meet your expectations or aspirations for your life except you.

I keep being asked, “What do you want to do after you graduate?” I’m a senior in college. This question is expected. The problem with that question is it’s usually one of career aspiration, rather than a question of purpose discernment. It’s such an unsatisfying question. I want someone to ask me how I wish to live my life, which values I will center in my actions.

Ultimately, what I want to do after college is love. What I want to do now is love. What I want to do with my life is love. I want love to be my guiding principle in all actions and relationships. My question must now be, “How can anyone tell that love is what I want to do with my life?”

Song from today’s service: Hold on to Love by Jesse Manibusan

Yesterday’s sunset. Talia sent me this photo from the top of her favorite tree. Love.