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Against the Tide Volf

At its core, love is not a feeling at all, but and action, a way of being, in active care of others - for the integrity of their bodies ands souls, as well as for their flourishing.

It is a call to live against the tide. The obstacles to 'project love' are formidable. Chief among them is our obvious  and nearly universal propensity to care for ourselves alone, or to care for others only if the benefit to us outweighs the cost.

black holes of self-absorption - manipulation, cheating, deceiving and exploiting others all with a clear conscience. xi

The complete works of Frederick Nietzsche " the tremendous mobility of human beings on the great earthly desert, their founding of cities and states, their waging of wars, their ceaseless gathering and dispersing, their confused mingling, their imitation and deceit of one another, their mutual outwitting and trampling under foot, their cries and their joyous cheers in victory - all this is a continuation of animality, as if human beings were intended to regress and be cheated of their metaphysical disposition" the bait which human beings have been lured into slavery to their inane desires - earthly happiness! Pp13

Dancing for God - 'authenticity unspoiled by the desire for popularity... theology undertaken above all for the sake of God and under the judgement of God ... we speak and write to get approval from an audience, to impress ... to satisfy ... popularity and its rewards will take precedence over fidelity to God. We will perform for audiences instead of dancing for God. In the process we morph into the image that we seek to please.  18-19 

Love is different. To give less than you expect to receive is selfishness, no matter how warm your heart feels in the other's presence. To  give as much as you receive is to be fair. But to love is to give more than you hope to receive 54