Love Your Neighbor as Yourself

When Jesus speaks about loving our neighbor, he doesn't mean that we should simply be nice to one another. No. He means quite literally that we should care for our neighbor with the very same commitment as we do for ourselves. That we give up our time, our money, our hobbies, our house, our vacations, etc., to be there for others with all our heart.

It means that ministers and presidents travel by public transport to save money for social expenditure and to stay close to their citizens. That the wealthy donate not ten, but ninety percent of their salary to charitable projects. That enthusiastic steak lovers voluntarily eat more plant-based food to spare the planet. That we give up our vacation and give the money to someone who cannot afford one. That governments, as well as private individuals, raise massive funds to help farmers switch to sustainable methods that rebuild the soil, capture and absorb rainwater, protect birds and insects, and still earn enough money to make a living.

It literally means giving up our life. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily." It means death to my self. Nothing more and nothing less. But it is the only way this world can work. Anything else ultimately leads only to self-destruction.