Is it possible we have become silenced to use the word ‘love’ in the workplace, and especially in formal education settings?

It’s as if the English word ‘love’ has become an unacceptable word to use in many workplace contexts, including education, health, and community care, where love is the oil that more than anything else, keeps the lamps of human spirits ignited.

Have we bowed to the predilection to couch the use of the word ‘love’ and replace it instead with other words, such as care, kindness, compassion, consideration, cooperation? All of which are diluted ways to show our feelings? And is that a good thing? It is said ‘The Power of Love’. Love is the most powerful and power-inducing of all human conditions. It can achieve and sustain great things; far more than what fear can attain as a driving force.

Do we fully harness the power of love? Love is an act, not just a spoken or written word to throw around like confetti, or as ‘Polyfilla’ used to mend cracks in relationships. We default to almost mindlessly say the word ‘love’ to verbalise that we like or approve of something, but do we ever express ourselves and explain our actions through the explicit use of the lens of love? So that others recognise that it is pure love that is our motivator? And that our interactions are in fact love-based which means an absence of a ‘should’ or ‘need to’ mindset.

And most important of all: that others can believe and accept they are LOVE-able.

If love is your core driving force, then what thoughts can you share that can bring it more into the front seat of higher education?

Connect with Caring on Campus: HEart in Higher Education.