In 2003, an American hip-hop group released a song titled, Where is the love. It was inspired by the US September terrorist attacks commonly known as 9/11.
The lyrics to this song questioned the values of humanity by hypothetically using the US September terrorist attacks as a presentation of what a society that lacked love looked like, as its chorus sought intervention from God.
Interestingly, 2000 years ago when Jesus Christ still lived on earth, he guided (us) society on the way man should relate with each other. He used the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke, intentionally using characters of the Samaritan, Jewish priest and the Levite.
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group descending from Israel who were historical adversaries with the Jews. The Samaritan in the parable was the most justified person, unlike the priest and the Levite, to ignore the severely injured Jewish traveller who had been left for dead by the roadside. However, he instead picked the wounded Jew off the streets and nursed him to recovery after his fellow Jews had ignored and passed him.
Jesus Christ set for us a standard in the good neighbour principle with emphasis on the extent of how much we should love. We are commanded to love our neighbours equally as we love ourselves. Just like the Good Samaritan, we ought to look beyond what separates us, and help our friends out of trying moments.
Loving our neighbours (anyone in need), is a command and not optional. Let us not wait until a traveller is beaten into a coma on the roadside, let us share acts of love every day. It could be a smile, hug, or a shoulder for one to lean on.
Rogers Magala
LLB Year 2, UCU Kampala Campus
