GLT思考角落：好品格x 愛人的能力。GLT Thinking Corner: Character x The ability to Love

心理學家弗洛姆說：「愛是人類生存問題唯一合理且滿足人心的解答」。如果愛是生命存在意義的終極解答，那麼愛或許便也是一切問題的解答了。

「愛人的能力」是一切好品格的核心品格，雖說是看不見的最珍貴，但是到底可以如何幫助自己與孩子培養這珍貴品格中的終極品格呢？聖經中一段關於愛的描述很能幫助你/孩子認識「愛的能力」這個品格。

到底甚麼是愛呢？哥林多前書1章這麼說：

「愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈；愛是不嫉妒；愛是不自誇、不張狂、不做害羞的事，(愛是)不求自己的益處，(愛是)不輕易發怒，(愛是)不計算人的惡，(愛是)不喜歡不義、只喜歡真理，(愛是)凡事包容，(愛是)凡事相信，(愛是)凡事盼望，(愛是)凡事忍耐 。」

除了明白定義，其實只要變換個小地方，這段文字就能作為鍛鍊愛的品格的好方法喔！

你只需要把這段文字中的「愛」字，全部換成你的名字，並每次聚焦練習一句話，直到你覺得有充分操練為止。例如：小妮開始這個練習，她把自己的名字放入這段話當中，所以第一句話便變為「小妮是恆久忍耐」，小妮持續練習忍耐的品格，直到她覺得自己能在生活中充分展現忍耐的品格了，便接續練習下一句，也就是「小妮有恩慈」~

趕緊與孩子試試看這個小活動吧，讓永不止息的愛放肆流竄你我的身邊 =)

Psychologist, Erich Fromm said, “Love is the only sane and satisfactory answer to the problem of human existence.” If such a tough question like human existence can be answered by love, it stands to reason that love is the best answer to all the problems you and I are tackling.

 Then, it would also sound reasonable that the virtue of the ability to love is the ultimate virtue of all for every human being to cultivate. But what exactly is love and how exactly we may cultivate that in ourselves and our children/students? There is a clear and explicit definition for your reference:

"Love is patient, love is kind. It (love) does not envy, it (love) does not boast, it(love) is not proud.

It(love) is not rude, it(love) is not self-seeking, it(love) is not easily angered, it(love) keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It(love) always protects, (love) always trusts, (love) always hopes, (love) always perseveres."

How do we make use of this passage and develop this arguably most essential virtue of love? Try replacing each "love" word with your name and focus on one attribute/umbrella virtue a time until it feels accurate about you. For example, Jennie may say to herself, "Jennie is patient." And keeps practicing being patient with everything around her until she is for the description.

Give it a go; you will see that love truly never fails =)