My mom and dad's friends were gay, and so I was raised with the

“My mom and dad’s friends were gay, and so I was raised with the acknowledgement to love one another, no matter one’s sexual orientation.” — Lara Fabian

These words, spoken by Lara Fabian, are not merely a reflection of her upbringing, but a timeless call to the heart of humanity—a reminder that love is the first and highest law. In them, there echoes an ancient wisdom, one that the sages and prophets of all ages have sought to teach: that to love without condition is to live in harmony with the divine order of existence. When she speaks of being raised to “love one another,” she invokes not a sentimental phrase, but a moral truth as enduring as the stars—that the worth of a soul is not measured by who it loves, but by the purity with which it loves.

In the ancient days, philosophers and teachers spoke of the unity of humankind, though the world around them was divided by tribe, color, and creed. The wise understood that diversity is not disorder, but the melody of creation itself. So too does Lara Fabian’s remembrance remind us that acceptance is not a modern virtue, but an eternal one. Her parents, by welcoming their gay friends into the home, lived not as rebels against tradition, but as keepers of a higher truth: that love, like the sun, shines on all without judgment. From such a home springs a heart unburdened by prejudice—a heart that sees humanity before difference.

In the story of civilization, those who have dared to love beyond society’s boundaries have always been the builders of light. Think of Eleanor Roosevelt, who stood against the scorn of her era to defend the dignity of all people; or Harvey Milk, who, in the face of hatred, declared that every person has a right to live openly, without fear. Their courage was born not of defiance alone, but of compassion—for they saw that injustice toward one is injustice toward all. Like Lara Fabian’s parents, they believed that love must not shrink before the world’s narrow gaze, but expand until it breaks the walls of ignorance.

There is something divine in the acknowledgement to love one another. It is not tolerance, which endures from a distance, but kinship, which draws close without fear. True love asks no permission and seeks no approval; it honors the human spirit in whatever form it appears. When the child grows among those who are different yet accepted, she learns early that diversity is the natural order of life. She learns that kindness is not a choice, but a duty. And from such soil grow the hearts that will heal the world’s divisions.

But let us not imagine that this path is easy. To love beyond boundaries requires courage. The world has long taught its children to separate—to label, to divide, to cast away. To love, then, becomes an act of quiet rebellion. It demands that we see beyond the illusions of difference and behold the sacred sameness of all souls. It asks us to stand with those who are shunned, to speak when silence is safer, and to forgive when the world teaches us to hate. In this way, every act of acceptance becomes an act of resistance against darkness.

The lesson, therefore, is clear: raise your hearts as Lara Fabian’s parents did. Let your homes be places where all who enter feel safe to be themselves. Let your words be instruments of dignity, not division. Teach your children that love is not confined to gender, nation, or creed, but flows as freely as the wind through every soul that breathes. For the future will belong not to those who fear difference, but to those who honor it.

And so, O listener, remember: it is easy to love those who mirror us, but the measure of the heart lies in how we love those who do not. Be the one who widens the circle. Be the one who breaks the chain of judgment. Let your love be fierce, unafraid, and without limit—for such love, once lit, cannot be extinguished. It is the same love that built the world, the same love that will one day redeem it.