The other day I watched two films in a row, which led me to some reflections. I will share them with you. The first was Einstein and the Bomb, which portrays Einstein’s life at the time of the Holocaust and World War II. He called himself a militant pacifist and was deeply concerned about conflicts and violent actions.

I am particularly interested in commenting on something he said that occupied my thoughts and that, for that reason, will not be a literal transcription. At one point, he says that an organized, militarized force could be fought only by another organized force (commenting on Hitler’s actions and on what could stop him). Hearing that, my first reflection was: what if that organized force were an action grounded in love? I will come back to this.

When the Einstein film ended, I started watching The Greatest Night in Pop. I was curious because several friends had been talking about it. And, to my pleasant surprise, in my view, that film gave answers to my restlessness about organized forces.

The film portrays the days leading up to the night when the song We Are the World was recorded, and the night itself, from the moment manager Ken Kragen is hired to produce the project until the recording, by more than 40 international pop singers. Quincy Jones co-produced, and Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote the song.

The artists came together to raise donations against hunger on the African continent, where more than a million people were without food. Look at that: an act of love that moved the whole world and gave rise to other organized campaigns.

Shortly before the recording, a sign was posted in the studio inviting people to leave their egos at the door. That was the project’s biggest risk: in a single day, more than 40 people who were world-famous on their own had to sing in harmony, toward one goal, a greater good beyond themselves and their own success.

I think this may be an answer to my restlessness: can a force organized around love fight violence and the greed for power?

Perhaps love is not very organized: it is a deliberate daily decision that invites us to look beyond ourselves, to think of the common good, of the possibility that everyone has decent living conditions and can be happy, and that everyone comes out ahead because of these actions.

For that, we must also give up power and vanity, and perhaps there lies the greatest difficulty. The followers of this movement cannot be blind; they need to be aware of their behaviors and choices and understand that every action has an impact on others. They need to know themselves and be open to knowing and recognizing the other. The main “weapons” of this movement are dialogue, respect, a strong collective awareness and practical love.

From my point of view, the conflict “violence versus love” is daily and happens all over the planet. I dare to dream that love can win most of the time and in most places. If for every act of violence we have two acts of love, perhaps we can show people that living love and cooperation is far more advantageous than violence, competition and the struggle for power of a few over many.

There are many movements of love out there, and we can start many more every day of our lives. I choose the movement of love!