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Could YOU be loved? (And be love?)
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My friends, Today’s newsletter is about love. So, let me ask you: Is there anything more important than love? I mean, once you’ve got food, water and shelter covered, I really doubt there is… Whoa, that’s a big question right outta the gate, Julia. What’s the deal?When I was teaching at the University of Toronto in the Department of Health & Society, I took over a lower-year lecture class called Introduction to Health Humanities. I have to admit - I really loved teaching this class. The crux of the course was to introduce department majors, most of whom were studying population and biological health, to studying health through the humanities and arts. Instead of assuming health is the domain of science, students got the chance to explore health and experiences of health (and illness) through different creative works: stories, poems, plays, music, films, paintings and so many others. I inherited the syllabus, but had lots of leeway in terms of the different topics to include. One of the changes I made to this course was to include a session on ‘love,’ which I swapped out for a session on ‘pain’ that was already in the syllabus. My logic was: How can we have a course about health, wellbeing and experiences of illness and NOT include at least some discussion about one of the greatest human capacities and points of connection: to love? I framed the class through Bob Marley’s song “Could You Be Loved?” My dudes - it was a REALLY fun class… Not only did I get to introduce students to arguably one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century, and share about the global influence of Jamaican culture (and Rastafarianism specifically), but we spent the entire 3 hours talking about LOVE and listening to one of the most awesome tunes ever written (yes, that is my opinion! Fight me!). Yeah OK, Julia, but what does LOVE have to do with the study of HEALTH?Filmmaker Donisha Prendergast - also Bob Marley’s granddaughter and a graduate of Toronto Metropolitan University - speaks about the importance of the song’s main question: “could you be loved, and be love?” Can we take up the challenge of being loved, and also be love itself? Through small acts of love, can we become love and embody it? She describes love as a creative rebellion, a way of being and acting that can affect the world. Culture, including music, is a way for us to connect, and rehabilitate our lives. Have a listen here to a CBC interview where Prendergast talks about some of these ideas. In class, we talked about the ways love is important to our health. This includes:
In this way, health, as the World Health Organization defines it, is more than just the absence of disease, but about complete physical, mental and social well-being. Health for all people is fundamental to peace and security in the world. Just read that last line again - “Health for all people is fundamental to peace and security in the world.” So, my dear friends, could YOU be loved? Can you take up that challenge?And, could you be love itself, and embody it through your small acts? Can your small acts of love help move the creative rebellion forward to bring about well-being for all people which is fundamental for global peace and security? Seriously my dudes - I’d love to know… Could you? Bob says it best: you can find the song here. Julia p.s. Do you know someone who would dig this newsletter? Feel free to send it to them! p.p.s. And now for something completely different, if you'd still like to give me feedback on which workshop I should develop next, you can fill out this survey! Thank you in advance! Julia Gray, PhDWebsite | Instagram | LinkedIn
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Fair Play
Creativity, culture and humanity. Join a community of thoughtful scholars, creatives, and professionals committed to writing, working, and living with creativity, integrity, and impact.
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