One of the ways the devil operates is by constantly changing the meaning of words, thereby rendering ancient knowledge difficult to understand. Ideas get twisted, and the message lost. Original sin is but one such confusion. In its original form, it's a message of hope. Now, it's mainly seen as a form of defeatism, both by Christians and anti-Christians, due to our new interpretation of the word sin.
A similar misconception has crept in when it comes to the word love. It has lost much of its original meaning, and is now largely understood as either kindness or eroticism, depending on the situation. However, love is neither kindness nor sexuality. It's enthusiasm and appreciation. That's why we can love things and actions as well as people.
An act of love is different from an act of kindness. When we act out of love towards people, we're not necessarily kind. The guiding principle is not kindness, but the golden rule. We act the way we want others to act towards us in similar situations. If somebody steals something from us, we go after them, and they better have a good excuse if caught. Conversely, we neither expect nor want people to be kind to us if we do something selfish or mean.
Loving people are predictable and honest. They are firm and strong in face of adversity. They don't respond with kindness when people do them wrong. They respond firmly and predictably in accordance to the golden rule, and therein lies the difference between love and kindness.
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