Love Thy Neighbor As Thyself

[Carborendum]

Quote

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

  -- Matt 22:36-39

I found an interesting linguistic quirk in verse 39.

The Greek word for "love" is "universal/godly love".  But there is also a word for "righteous self-love" (GR: storge).  It is interesting that the word "love" does not accompany the word "thyself".  It is merely implied.

Storge is the Greek word that says it is ok to take care of yourself.  It recognizes that if you neglect your self-care, then you will be in no condition to take care of others.  So, in this light, it seems that the idea of "Charity" is external, while "Storge" is internal.  But they are basically opposite sides of the same coin.

Take care of yourself, so that you are in a good position to take care of others.  This is Godly love.

Edited September 19, 2022 by Carborendum

[NeuroTypical]

I try hard to keep both of those in my heart, mind, and actions.  I find the first one is easier than the 2nd.  

I've long thought that inherent in the 2nd, is a rather hidden commandment that we've got to love ourselves too.  That's got to be part of the deal, because there are no shortage of people who hate themselves, and the 2nd great commandment is not a free pass to do harm to folks.

Edited September 19, 2022 by NeuroTypical