Just over a decade ago, during a bus tour trip I took from Flagstaff, Arizona, (where I was a resident for four years) to the Gand Canyon, a young Japanese woman from Ichikawa, Japan, seated next to me, paraphrasing, asked me, "What does love have to do with it?" The "it" will be explained later.

My "Most Significant Other" and I had planned a tour bus trip to the Grand Canyon, but a day before we were to take the trip she was asked by the Dean of the Department at the University where she was a professor if she would attend the national conference that one of her colleagues had been designated to attend but could not after having been involved in an automobile accident. My Most Significant Other agreed to attend the national conference. She also agreed with me that I should make the trip to the Grand Canyon as planned.

During my trip to the Grand Canyon a Japanese woman, traveling alone, was seated next to me, as indicated earlier, when we left Flagstaff. Yosano was her name, if my memory is correct. She appeared to be courageous, adventurous, independent, and eager to reach out and share with others. We had not gone half the distance of the approximately 100-mile trip when she said how pleased she was with having met me and for us to be seated next to each other. Especially did she appear to be grateful when she learned that  I had been to the Grand Canyon on two previous occasions. Yosano and I were together much of the time on that trip, including sitting at the same table for lunch. It seemed to me that she wanted to be with me and I appreciated her company, as well.

While retruning to Flagstaff, I told her that I was an author of a book that focuses on love. She asked me about a number of subjects, parapharasing, her inquiries can be stated thusly, "What does love have to do with it?" "It" being the topics which she enumerated: sex, money, relationships, health, the Earth, spirtuality and God." These are topics I have thought about and researched beginning with my first year in seminary  philosophically and theologically. Without hesitation I responded to her questions with awareness that she was an active listener who was eager to learn. Considering each topic she had addressed separately, I responded: 

On Sex. Sex without love is usually perfunctory and abusive. It may even be bestial just as is true for non-human animals. Sex with love is intimacy that involves depth communication, and caring. Sex with love is a higher consciousness engagement.

On Money. Money is a medium of exchange. When used in transactions for goods and services, or as a gift that is directed by love money is more than a medium of exchange. It is life enhancement. While the love of or for money is to be avoided allowing love to direct a person's use of money is an act of salvation. Allow love to direct you in earning, receiving and managing money. With love money can achieve or acquire more in quality and quantity than more money without love.

On Health. The adage "Health is more important than wealth" has been proven time and time again to be true . People have been known to give their wealth in seeking to acquire good or a reasonable portion of health. Love contributes to maintaining and restoring good health. Having a health-consciousness which is a function of love motivates a person to eat right, take exercise, pray and do other things that promote holistic health, harmony of body, mind and soul.

On Relationships. A meaningful relationship has to be a love relationship. Only love relationships can bring fulfillment. In love relationships there is loyalty and commitment that endure even when there is suffering. Love suffers long.

On the Earth. Relating to the Earth as a sacred resource rather than exploiting or abusing it requires a person to love the Earth. It appears that the Earth is a giver only, but the Earth also receives. Humans have the opportunity and obligation to give to the Earth by being good stewards of the Earth. Love is the basis of good stewardship. Appreciate the Earth and nature as sacred gifts.

On Spirituality. Love engenders meaning in life. Without love there is meaninglessness which is evidenced in anxiety, guilt, stress and a host of other life-deprivation emotions and afflictions. Spirituality is the determinant of values and the force that motivates a person to iive in the spirit demonstrating and esteeming his values.

On God. God is love. Love God, others and yourself. In a nutshell this is what love is all about. Love is what love does that is good. It was said of Jesus, "He went around doing good." Take zero out of good and you have God; take God out of good and you have zero. Only by keeping God in good can you have good.

What does love have to do with it?" Love has everything to do with it, i.e., everything that emanates from love. If sex is to be meaningful, not perfunctory or abusive; if money is to be exchanged to promote quality life; if health - physical and mental, good and optimum - is to be; if relationships are to be compassionate and mutually satifying; if the Earth is to be accepted as being sacred and nature as being  a thing of beauty; if spirituality is to inspire a person to esteem values; and, if God is to be a person's Supreme Attraction then, to reiterate, "Love has everything to do with it." Only love, the greatest power in the Universe, can produce the highest good and reveal ultimate beauty. Humans were created to love and be loved.

My third trip to the Grand Canyon and encounter with Yosano are indelibly imprinted in my consciousness. For that I am eternally grateful. Thank you Yosano for asking me "What does love have to do with it?" I hope others will receive the answer to this question in the same spirit of gratitude as you did. "What does love have to do with it?" It is worth reiterating daily, "Love has everything to do with it."

Copyright 2011 by Uriah J. Fields

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