LOVE
A long time ago, I used to think that love was the most
important thing on the Earth. No matter what happened, it
was really the most important thing -- because love can
bring so much joy to people. And it did to mine.
Unimaginable joy. So then, one day, about ten years ago, I
was watching this documentary about the Beatles, and they
asked Abbie Hoffman -- who was very much alive at the time
-- if all you really need is love in this world. He thought
very briefly, and answered in that good natured way of his
that, "No, Justice is all you need." He said that justice
is the most important thing in the world. And I thought
about it for a while, maybe a few weeks, maybe months, but
I found myself agreeing with him. Knowing more and more
about the world (and especially the horrors of the American
government in Central America in the 1980s), it was hard
not to see that justice was the most important thing in the
world. It would all follow from justice. We would not be
screwing every country in central america if we had any
sense of justice. Millions of millions of people would be
happy now if we had any sense of justice. And that we
didn't.
In any case, recently, I've changed my mind. I just wanted
to announce that. I now think that love is the most
important thing in the world. There's nothing like it. Nor
will there ever be. It is what gives me -- just as I knew
when I was twelve -- unimaginable joy. It's not that
justice or good health isn't important. They hold joint
position at number two. However, love is the most important
thing in this world. If you don't have it, it sucks big
time. If you have it, it's the best thing in the world.