It is everyone’s duty to love and care for others. It is a fundamental aspect of our shared humanity, grounded in the principles of equality, compassion, empathy and a commitment to the betterment of all, and gives true meaning and fulfilment to life.

To love, simply, is to put the needs and wellbeing of others before your own. It is selflessness personified. It is a collective responsibility that requires that we treat people with kindness and respect. It is a duty to genuinely care for others that extends to everyone you meet and to all those you don’t — across all places and time.

The vision of Bermuda Is Love is to create a Bermuda where everyone recognises and acts on their duty to love and care for one another. We aim to build a community of love where everyone recognises their moral obligation to treat others with dignity, respect and empathy.

The love we advocate for is a love based fundamentally on mutual respect and support, human rights and dignity, and collective liberation and responsibility. It is a kind of love that is centred around the idea that we are all human, all equal, all deserving of being treated with dignity, all deserving of living fulfilling and flourishing lives.

Bermuda Is Love believes that everyone has the capacity for love, and that it is through loving others that everyone can be valued and given the opportunity to become the best version of themselves.

We also recognise that human nature and individualism can often stand in the way of this moral imperative. Thus, overcoming these obstacles requires a conscious effort and a commitment from all of us to recognise the importance of loving others. This vision requires action from everyone. From me and from you. It must. For that is what it means to love. But with it comes equality, justice, peace and freedom for all. It means a society where everyone is respected and valued for who they are as individuals, regardless of their background or social status.

We must understand that to love others is to put your humanity into action. It is about building relationships and connecting with others. It is smiling at a stranger, greeting and acknowledging another person with friendliness in your eyes. It is about volunteering at a feeding programme, or donating your time to a mentorship programme. It is helping those who have less to ensure that everyone’s basic needs are met and that we are all indeed equal.

Bermuda Is Love believes that love must underpin everything that we do as a society. If you love a person, you will not let them go without food to eat or clothes to wear, you will not let them experience homelessness, you will not fail to educate them, or help them in sickness, or protect them from injustices, you will not allow them to live in an unsafe, unhealthy environment.

When we care for others, what we are doing is contributing to a network of mutual support that benefits everyone. When we love others, we recognise that my liberation is tied to yours, and yours to mine. We understand that personal freedom and wellbeing cannot be fully realised in isolation, but are deeply intertwined with the freedom and wellbeing of others. We recognise that love is the foundation of a truly liberated world.

Thus, a world built on love is essential for all of humanity to thrive and reach its potential. It is essential if we are to create a better world and in the process a better Bermuda. The freedom, happiness and fulfilment of all is intertwined with our capacity to love others.

Love enriches each of our lives, binds all individuals together and deepens our connections with one another, giving ultimate purpose and meaning to life. Relationships founded on love never truly die. They last for ever. They become part of the very fabric of our society and define our humanity.

Bermuda Is Love envisions a society built on love, where every act is done in the name of our shared love for others. We write this article as a call to action for all persons to recognise and act on their duty to love and care for one another. By loving others and acknowledging our shared destinies, we can create a more just, equitable and compassionate world.

Let all that you do be done in love. Let love be the foundation of who we are as a society. It is up to each of us to help make this vision a reality.

• Aaron Crichlow is the cofounder of Bermuda Is Love