Day 61 (or: Faith, Hope and Love)

...And the greatest of these, is LOVE. Or charity, depending on your version of the Bible (let me be clear, here.  I am NOT a bible thumper, nor will I ever be one, but knowing what the great books have to say about the world we live in is, in my humble opinion, important).

Love.  Charity.  Same, same.

Or...is it?

Definition matters, I suppose, so what of this charity thing - which in my mind, has a very different connotation than love.

The Urban Dictionary, defines charity -erm- well, would you look at that! That's not at ALL what I thought it would be.

1.	Charity	573 up, 172 down
	the coolest chick you could ever meet. Beautiful, brilliant, peaceful, down to earth, and wicked sweet. also the greatest and most loyal friend you could ever have.....

And it goes on...in a remarkably ridiculous way.  Pffft!

On to the next definition?  Dare we?   Google Dictionary says thus:

char·i·ty/ˈCHaritē/

Noun:	The voluntary giving of help, typically money, to those in need. Help or money given in this way.
Synonyms:	alms - mercy - beneficence - benevolence - philanthropy

This definition, is closer to containing those negative connotations I have about Charity as a word.  Frankly, neither of these is very satisfying, nor do they actually mean anything close to love.  Money?  Hot girls?  Um.  Weird.

MOVING ON!

Merriam Webster, oh lovely and stalwart definer of words, defines Charity a little more to my satisfaction:

Definition of CHARITY

1

: benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity

2

a : generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering; also : aid given to those in needb : an institution engaged in relief of the poorc : public provision for the relief of the needy

3

a : a gift for public benevolent purposesb : an institution (as a hospital) founded by such a gift

4

: lenient judgment of others

That's better.  There's that "L" word I was looking for, and it makes room for the generosity of spirit which is equivalent in my mind, to Love.  Eschewing with the negative connotations and focusing on the charity which is synonymous with love.

Today, day 61 of One Thousand Days, I love the generosity of spirit which allows the open sharing of information on the interwebs, so that I can discuss (not at length) the merits of Love and Charity.

61 down, 939 to go.