Love of neighbor is a value that different religions promote.
The etymology of neighbor takes us to the Latin word proxĭmus . The first meaning mentioned by the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) in its dictionary refers to any person .
Neighbor, however, usually has a more specific use. This idea is generally used when it is intended to name an individual with respect to another, linking both through solidarity .
To consider the other as a neighbor is to feel close . The neighbor is a fellow human being for whom empathy is experienced, since it is understood that he or she has feelings and emotions similar to one's own.
Love of neighbor
In the field of religion , especially in Christianity and Judaism , love of neighbor is one of the most important precepts. The believer, as a child of God , is expected to respect and esteem his neighbor just as he does his loved ones and even himself.
Being in solidarity with one's neighbor, in this framework, appears as an ethical mandate . Morality indicates that, if a human being is in trouble, we must help him because he is a neighbor.
In this framework, having indifference towards others, or not respecting them, represents a lack of values considered positive in a society . Only by taking our neighbors into account is it possible to build a community whose members live together in peace and harmony.
Solidarity with others is an ethical obligation.
Solidarity and empathy
Although we usually associate this concept and what it implies in our lives with Christian doctrine, treating others well with the goal of living in harmony should be the basis of existence, regardless of their beliefs. This is true because the planet on which we are born does not belong to a single individual, but to everyone and in turn to no one: the plants, animals and people who inhabit the Earth should feel grateful for the possibilities it gives us and accept the limits that it imposes on us, so that others have the same opportunities as us.
Perhaps compassion is the most important feeling of all: coming to genuinely feel the suffering of others, even if the other is not the same species or if we have never gone through a similar situation. If we can feel identified with our neighbor in this crystalline, pure way, then we will be one and in this way we will be able to give them the treatment they deserve. Another of the fundamental points in social relationships is not to act out of interest, that is, not to expect something in return.
not having a neighbor
We also find in the dictionary the verbal phrase not having a neighbor with the meaning of "not suffering from the misfortunes of others" or "having a hardened heart." Verbal phrases are groups composed of a minimum of two words that have a semantic and syntactic behavior equivalent to that of a single word; In other words, its meaning cannot be deduced by combining that of its parts, but must be learned.
The use of this verbal phrase can be seen in the following example sentence: "I can't understand why Paul is so rigid, he doesn't have a neighbor!" . If we tried to deduce the meaning of this phrase based on its components, we would say that the person mentioned, Pablo, does not have people around him; Needless to say, we would be wrong, since that is not the message. However, being hard-hearted is “not having empathy,” behaving as if there is no connection between oneself and others, something that can only happen if “there is no one around.”
It should be noted, on the other hand, that the feminine term ( prójima ) usually acquires a pejorative nuance . A woman who has reprehensible or questionable behavior is mentioned as a “neighbor.”