Written by Tiane Davis
One year ago, I was struggling in so many areas of my life. The 2023 spring semester was a semester of doubt, questioning and hopelessness for me. Too many of the things that had previously brought me joy no longer did. Several of my favorite friends were no longer living nearby, and I was dealing with a lot of social situations that were new to me. I even considered quitting The Bison, though I am eternally grateful I did not. Everything felt scary, and the causes of all the problems I faced were hard to pinpoint at the time because there were so many.
That summer, I moved to Oklahoma for an internship and lived in an apartment by myself. I had one friend in the area, but we were not close. I was alone, but in a much different way. I finally had the time and space to think and self-reflect.
I do not remember how I came across it, but I found a letter online that Albert Einstein allegedly wrote to his daughter, Lieserl. He explained why the most powerful force in the universe is love. This letter became something I referred back to often, just to serve as a reminder of what I want my focus to be. I urge you to take a break from this column and read the letter we copied on the right.
I soon decided to name my weekly column in The Bison “For Love,” based on what he wrote. I later found out that he did not write the letter, and it was actually a hoax that showed up on the internet in 2015. Regardless, reading that letter changed my perspective on life. I wanted to practice changing my thought processes, even if just a little. I didn’t care if it was fake because I knew it was something I believed in. Who needs a credible source if the words are true?
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine, out of the blue, asked me, “What is your deepest conviction?” I was thrown off by the question, but I knew what to say.
Love in its purest form can only bring good to the world. Every time I say it, I can see the obviousness, yet I believe it with as much conviction and importance as ever. I have a feeling no one would argue with me on it, but I want to emphasize once again how important it is.
We have so many distractions in our lives that we sometimes do not think about what our true values are. Attending a Christian school or growing up in the Church makes us feel like we have strong values. We are told what our values should be, but those who tell us sometimes forget to teach us what it feels like to truly live a life based on them. Our teachers of faith will often tell us that our words are empty if our actions do not align, but they sometimes forget to help us train our thoughts to align with our beliefs.
I think this struggle is normal in the life of a young person. We cannot truly change our thought processes if we ourselves are not investing the time, which is why there is no help in blaming our teachers and mentors. We can hold our guides accountable, but what will truly bring change in our lives is taking responsibility for our thoughts and actions.
If you have one belief, let it be that love exists and is powerful. If you have one motive, let it be to always love others. If you have any value that directs your motives, a trustworthy one to follow is love. Everything else can proceed from there. If you can’t let yourself trust a source other than the Final Authority, forget the hoax letter I found and remember what Jesus said when he was asked what the greatest commandments were:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself ” (Matt. 22:37-40).
I also often think of what John said in his first letter to the believers:
“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).
I did not fully understand the concept of having real values to lead my life until less than a year ago. I did not understand what it meant to truly believe something and intentionally allow that belief to guide my thoughts and actions. At least, I had never taken the time to identify my then current values and compare them to the values I aimed to hold.
Because I am human, I will always come across moments in my life where I do not act or think out of love — I now recognize that those are the low points. Those are the times when hopelessness, loneliness or doubt start to return.
Sometimes, when I have doubts about a decision or feel directionless, I think about all the things I would do for love.
What always grounds me is this:
For love we live and die.
