Question B- Do we need more than love?

The definition of stability as given by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is as follows: “the quality, state, or degree of being stable: as a : the strength to stand or endure b : the property of a body that causes it when disturbed from a condition of equilibrium or steady motion to develop forces or moments that restore the original condition c : resistance to chemical change or to physical disintegration”. Option “a” seems most relevant to the topic of social and civil stability, so I will address that definition for the purposes of my argument. I therefore take the definition of social stability as an unchanging, enduring society; I define civil stability as an unchanging system of governance.

The statement “all you need is love” can only be evaluated if we ignore the improbability of every being on the planet all acting with love instead of fear towards each other. With this new, hypothetical environment in mind, I submit that we need more than love to achieve civil and social stability.

At the moment, human society is unstable because human emotion is unstable. This is because at our core we are all fearful, whether that is fear of death or fear of failure. This fear makes people distrust and even hate each other. If we did not fear but instead trusted one another, society would be better off for it. Without fear of each other, there would be no conflicts over anything from who stole the last cookie to who bombed who. With love as our moral guide, we would have no need to fear each other. Thus, there would be no need for laws to restrict human actions against each other.

While this hypothetical environment would be peaceful and loving, it would not promote social and civil stability as defined above. If social stability is an unchanging society, then benevolence and goodwill (jen) alone would not serve to stabilize society. Instead, pure jen would likely erase what differentiates any culture from another. If civil stability is an unchanging system of governance, pure jen would make for an unstable government. Benevolence alone cannot rule a people or save a culture. It is only with respect for ritual and custom (li) that social and civil stability can be accomplished.

With such respect, the rituals and customs of a society would be preserved, leading to the social stability of members of that culture. With li, the laws and systems of government that were pre-established would be preserved as well, which is the definition of civil stability.

Taking all of this into account, it is apparent that love and the preservation of cultures together would be the foundation of social and civil stability.