I am not one to complain. But I heard it again yesterday.
She said: “We want to love on the community!”
Like the sound of fingernails scraping a chalk board, the “love on” phrase causes me to physically cringe. My shoulders rise as I draw a deep breath. My jaw involuntarily clenches.
What happened to: “We want to love the community!”
I am usually a fan of language evolution. I love new and clever ways that people re-purpose words. I marvel at their inventive and skillful use. But I have an issue with this latest trend.
The little “on” may have been introduced to emphasize the act of love. Or, maybe it entered the first sentence to demonstrate the physical act of love. I don’t know and I was not able find out (yes, I googled it).
So, can you please help me understand? How does making the object of the sentence (community) into a prepositional phrase (on the community) call a greater amount of attention to the act of love? I don’t know.
But I do know that …
I cook the vegetables; and I cook on the stove. I don’t cook on the vegetables.
I play the game; and I play on the ball field. I don’t play on the game.
The stove and the field are tools. They describe where I cook and where I play.
When a person states that they are going to “love on” someone/something, the focus of the sentence becomes the speaker. Prepositional phrases function as adjectives and adverbs. They clarify and describe. Turning someone(s) into a prepositional phrase demeans who they are. It’s unintentional, of course, but I feel it is true nonetheless.
Jesus told us to “love one another” (Matthew 22:37-39; John 13:34; John 15:12-13; Romans 13:8; 1 John 4:7). Over and over He gave the command to love God, our neighbors, and even our enemies. I’ve never seen the command translated to love on God, love on our neighbors, nor love on our enemies.
What are your thoughts on “love” versus “love on“? I am not a grammarian. Maybe I am taking this a bit too far, but would someone who knows the grammar rules please help with my word issue?
I have the same reaction you do to this phrase, probably because it always smacks of spiritualized conscience-salve. People know when they are being approached as problems to be fixed rather than humans to be loved. “Loved on” screams “Project.” Thanks for putting into words what I have often felt.
We definitely want to live in more of a lifestyle of faith instead of a collection of “projects.” Thanks for adding to the conversation, Tiffany!
I had never heard this ‘version’ of love. It hasn’t reached my part of Australia yet. I hope it does not. I agree with your examples and using them as a principle, “love on the community” makes no sense.
Interesting post, thank you Sharon
Hi Susan! So great to hear from you! I’m not sure when I first heard this phrase but it’s become more prevalent lately around here. We’ll see if it stays around…
This is really interesting to bring up and not something I have ever deeply thought about. But when I was reading your post.. to say love on seems more safe than to love. Using love on seems like a more surface type of love than actually taking the time to invest into someone else and love them. I am not sure if my words are making sense… but I understand your frustration with the two different sayings.
Hey, Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by and adding to the conversation! :-) I appreciate your ponderings about a more surface type of love. Caring for others is definitely our desire, but sometimes it does not happen … whether physically or verbally.
It’s an abbreviation of the phrases “heap love on” or “pour love on”, depending upon whether you prefer to visualize love as gifts or healing salve. It emphasizes that there should be an embodiment of caring acts that express love as a reaction against the framing of love as a mere feeling. I think it is a good phrase that Jesus might well have used, had people been confusing love with sentiment before his resurrection.
Great insights, Beth! Thank you for this clarification. Our love so needs to be accompanied with caring acts… not just caring words. I’ll try to visually add “heap” and “pour” when I hear this phrase again. :-) Hope you are doing well!
THANK YOU! This phrase is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me, too!
Thanks for adding your voice, Terri! I didn’t know if other people were hearing the same “issue”!
Spot on, Sharon! The meaning has shifted from the selflessness of the lover towards the object of love — the community or some other — to the self-consciousness of the speaker. Creative speech enlightens; sloppy thinking diminishes both parties, in this case by distancing the ones to be loved. Let’s avoid this trend.
Thanks, Laurna! Hopefully our attention to the language can indeed help us keep the focus on those we serve.