Never has been [in the past few decades] a heightened level of tension all over the world like we are currently witnessing; people appear to be growing intolerant of one another as the ember of hostilities get fanned across different platforms. Plus, the word 'phobia' is even sometimes attached to some plain words to reflect the disposition of a particular group of persons towards another. In the Nigerian scenario where violence and/or upheavals are usually marked by religious and ethnical undertones, innocent individuals are sometimes seen or painted in bad light simply because of their religious or tribal affiliations. If you have been observing the trend on social media platforms, particularly as it regards issues of political significance or civil unrest, you must probably seen the degree of ill feelings behind some comments- on the average, one may see 1 in every ten comments reflecting such tendencies. Could all this be a sure sign of the times we are in. Jesus Christ did mention that lawlessness will abound in the last days, and because of this, the love of many will wax cold (Matthew 24:12); has this not become a norm these days? People hardly find any need to express love towards their neighbors just because of the ills in our society.
At this point, it will be ideal to ask: who exactly is your neighbor? - The Oxford dictionary describes the word 'neighbor' as 'a person who lives next to you or near you'. Jesus Christ however, raised the bar a little higher by pointing out that a neighbor is that very person that comes to the rescue of another (person) who is in need. This definitely takes neighborliness beyond a geographical residence; it brings neighborliness to the streets. And good neighborliness can therefore be said to be a core virtue that holds the societal framework together, and it is impossible to practice this without love.
Though love comes in varying degrees but it functions based on same principle. Throwing more light on this assertion: it is most likely that it is not the same measure of love you express towards your husband/wife or some other blood relatives that you will show to other individuals but [irrespective of whoever is on the receiving end], your actions will never put anyone in harm's way.
Well, one may not expect a group with a modus operandi like that of a terrorist group to reserve any dose of neighborliness or love in their subconscious but what about everyone who has got some degree of saneness and/or moral inclinations? There is a need for us to maintain peace so as to ensure healthy co-existence with one another- I must confess here that amidst the tensions all around, some persons seemed to have thrown the word 'peace' into the thrash bin. Again, expressing love towards one another [without giving any thought to colour, religion or tribe] will help us fight the common enemy that seeks to use our differences to create an 'irreparable' rupture among us.
To advance the course of nation-building, each and everyone of us has got to start making a commitment to love his/her neighbor as him-/her- self. Be mindful that the word 'neighbor' is not defined by religion or race.