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Thursday, March 28, 2024
The independent student publication of The University at Buffalo, since 1950

Spread your love to the people who count

There’s no such thing as overdoing “I love you”

“If you can’t tell your homies you love them, stop callin ‘em your homies!”

These words were splattered across a black background on ScHoolboy Q’s Instagram story one morning a while back. While I’ve always been one to make sure my friends know how much they mean to me, it took on a whole new meaning when I heard it from one of the hardest rappers on my playlists.

Over the years, I’ve come to understand that the word love is not just another word. It’s something that gets under- and overused by everyone around us.

This isn’t an argument for saying “I love you” to every person in your life. That would be meaningless. If anything, doing so could diminish the word’s value as a whole.

But, to the “real ones” in your life, you can never say it enough.

It doesn’t matter what persona they put on, or how you think they may perceive it — the words “I love you” can be more powerful than anything else when it comes from the right place.

This power goes beyond the word, however. Demonstrating your love is just as powerful — if not more powerful — than uttering that phrase.

Sometimes that means calling up a friend to see how they’ve been. Sometimes it means telling someone you care about them. And sometimes it means going out of your way to help your friends with something important. 

Love comes in so many forms. But as long as you make sure to project it, the people around you will know they are loved, and there’s not much else you could ask for. 

This kind of love doesn’t just make someone smile, it can help let out pain that builds up.

On a bad day, a big hug or a friend’s kind words can do even more than a good night’s sleep or a big breakfast.

That’s how powerful it is. In the right moment, being reminded that you are loved can help you rise from the ashes.

But that is what life is all about. 

Not every day is going to be great, and things won’t always go our way.

But if we can live our lives knowing we did our best to be better, and that we treated the ones we care about with love and kindness, then we truly won’t have room for regrets, only reflection.

So with that being said, I beg all of you reading this to do one thing today: call someone you care about and tell them you love them. It doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you last spoke, or if you’re concerned that it may be “out of the blue.” It doesn’t even matter if you think they’ll misread it.

They won’t. They’ll smile and be happy that they have a friend like you.

Alex Falter is the senior arts editor and can be reached at alex.falter@ubspectrum.com


ALEX FALTER
IMG_4613 (2).jpg

Alex Falter is a senior arts editor at The Spectrum.

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