The Editor,
As an extra-terrestrial visitor to planet Earth, I wanted to learn how love is practiced by its inhabitants. I first turned to the media where it appeared that love had something to do with giving gifts, particularly on Feb. 14. Gifts that are red in colour - the colour of love - are specially cherished.
Expressing love also appeared to have something to do with singing love songs, dining out with loved ones, chocolates and flowers. And more subtly, it seemed to have something to do with sexual activity where one could actually "make love."
Next, I circled around the planet and saw people killing each other, and others were starving, oppressed and homeless. Some also appeared to be materially well-off. It seemed that many of the Earth's people had not yet learned how to truly show love for their kindred.
What I saw was quite different from my home planet. There, we talk about the tender and caring love a mother has for her child, the love that family members have for each other and show it through mutual aid, kindness, respect and the love we have for our beautiful planet and every one of its inhabitants.
Our love also goes hand-in-hand with sacrifice, the willingness we have to forgo our own wishes and welfare in order that others may more equitably share in the blessings of life on our planet.
I returned home, happy in the knowledge that I had the bounty of living on a planet where the people really do love one another, and do it every day as our home spins around its source of light.
Merrill Muttart Richmond
