perhaps love and kindness are practices rather than feelings or states of being
âThe word âloveâ is most often defined as a noun, yet all the more astute theorists of love acknowledge that we would all love better if we used it as a verb. I spent years searching for a meaningful definition of the word âlove,â and was deeply relieved when I found One in psychiatrist Scott Peckâs classic self-help book The Road LessTraveled, first published in 1978. Echoing the work of Erich Fromm, he defines love as âthe will to extend oneâs self for the purpose of nurturing oneâs own or anotherâs spiritual growth.â Explaining further, he continues: âLove is as love does. Love is an act of willânamely, both an intention and an action. Will also implies choice. We do not have to love. We choose to love.â Since the choice must be made to nurture growth, this definition counters the more widely accepted assumption that we love instinctually.â -bell hooks all about love






























