English
EspañolIn the family, the logic of love surpasses any other logic. Why? Because only the loving gaze penetrates the naked intimacy of each person, and it esteems then unconditionally here and now and always. The loving gaze exists only within the family. It is radically different from the logic of power, society, or the market, which are all about power, utility, profit, and gain.
Text
“In family life, the logic of domination and competition about who is the most intelligent or powerful destroys love.” (The Joy of Love, n.98)
Commentary
In a commercial or production Company, the logic of interest usually prevails due to the pressure to achieve results in the short term or to meet goals and objectives. People are considered vital to the extent that they facilitate or hinder the achievement of results. In this way, decisions can be made regarding the convenience of having or not having different professionals; hiring, evaluations, and dismissals are commonplace realities in the business world.
Thank God, the family demands a different logic, which embraces – out of genuine love – each person just for being who he or she is. For this very reason, the neediest, the most fragile, the sick, and the weak are more cared for in the family. It is the logic of unconditional affection, constant concern, sharing joys and sorrows, helping each other, suffering, and enjoying a loving coexistence. The logic of love can be seen in the countless sacrifices generously made by the family members.
It does not occur that parents, for example, love more or only those children who are more gifted or more skilled for some specific task. In fact, when a child is more helpless due to physical health issues, some deficiency, or some difficulty that affects them emotionally, they need more help and the parents´ physical presence. In my own experience, I remember the case of a mother who had a son with Down syndrome. She asked me to give her some words of encouragement. It occurred to me to tell her that deep down, her situation could be a blessing because it made the whole family turn to the child in need and was an opportunity to bring them closer together. I told her this with conviction, but without having experienced the same situation first-hand. However, a deep intuition, which came to me from the desire to love well and truly, told me that the embrace of that child with Down syndrome – as well as the embrace of any family member who suffers from a need, a precarious state, and fragility – is a golden opportunity to learn to love better and to unite the whole family. These are “golden” occasions because each of these people in need is “a real person”; they are our relatives.
