Blimey, lots of entries to this thread in a few short hours.
Fljots said:
Love is NOT necessarily affection.
The Greeks had 4 words for love:
Eros = sexual love
Storge = familial love
Agape = principled love
Philia = brotherly/friendship love
All but Agape involve the emotion affection in its various forms.
Agape simply cares. It is involved in all the other three, but it also stands alone.
I get confused thinking about 'types' of love. My mind is starting to get boggled, but I see what you mean (I think).
Steven said:
Love is an antidote for the further spread of hate. It displaces
anger, which is injurious to its posessor and others. Love is the
idealized response. It does not mean, i.m.o., an acceptance of
the wrong actions. There are other, less lofty, ways to
deal with hate. Some come with adverse affects for everyone
involved, though. Some do not.
Yes, but it's ok to get angry it's ok to express it. You don't need to "take it out" on anyone. Anger is an normal emotion that we all experience a number of times in the course of an average day. That's what my former shrink told me, anyway, and he was a very wise man. I used to have a vast amount of unexpressed anger inside me (from having been treated badly in the past, but not having been able to express it), which meant I was once depressed a great deal of the time.
Steven said:
As you almost certainly know, "agape" was the greek word used by
bible translators to speak of the highest level of love, where it
was unconditional or of a divine nature. Agape is congruent with some of
what Diane was saying about what love does not require
"unconditional, 'divine' love" could also be another term for true emotional intimacy, where two people share the contents of their hearts with all the barriers down. That's very high up on the list of the most beautiful things in life.
Lizzy said, in response to Boss:
As for preventing it on a mass scale, trying to get everyone in line in terms of seeing children as people vs.things, is a first step. Then, starting to address in myriad ways how people treat people, I guess might be the next.
Yes, I think it is a matter of continued education and awareness of the importance of rearing children in a loving, safe environment.
Happy Thanksgiving, Steven!
Diane
. Joyful, safe travels 
. No second-guessing on your absence now 
.
? Post-anniversary celebration 
.