Love is more than just a four letter word for Reece
Reece Phatudi is a gentleman passionate about spreading love through his work.
POLOKWANE – The author, love activist and motivational speaker started preaching in 1996 while he was still at school. He began to gather youth from churches and schools in Seshego.
“The Seshego Library used to host us when we had youth programmes. I was a youth at the St Paul Lutheran Church, but also met with other organisations, the writing came later”, he shares.
His books came as a result of the grooming he received from the programme, the Pure Love Alliance, which he was introduced to in 2001.
At that time, he was promoting the facilitation of HIV/AIDS Prevention Programmes.
“It was one of the reasons I became interested in taking the research about love further. Another thing that contributed greatly was the spiritual involvement,” he said. He joined an organisation called Universal Peace Federation which offered detailed education about love. The Christian background on love, including the Universal Peace Federation, is what birthed him as a love activist.
In 2006, he began to study love and systematised subjects relating to love. He wrote a thesis titled, Real Love Analogy, which analyses society based on love.
“The central theme of Real Love Analogy was that the main struggle in society, is the love struggle. To solve societal problems, we need love-consciousness. To resolve our problems, we need to embody love consciousness,” he explained. From this paper, he wrote a book called Renewal of the New South Africa, his first published book.
“With Renewal of the New South Africa, I looked at South Africa from a love perspective.”
In Renewal of The New South Africa, he contextualised love principles within the problems of South Africa.
“The foundation of South Africa is good but it lacks love. We haven’t spoken constitutionally about love as a founding value of the country. We haven’t looked at love as a key for the family unit which is the basic building block of this nation. We need renewal because we can’t build a nation without love. I am contributing the love aspect of the renewal process,” he explained further.
In the book, he argues that South Africa cannot realise economic emancipation outside love.
“Even with the economy, for us to share what we have in this country, means if those in power of the economy, through the government or private sector, are not willing to share, we will not realise it.”
After writing the book he realised it was premature of him to talk about love at that level without unpacking what he meant by love. He then wrote the Essentials of Love, where he defined love and explained the basic principles. The book was published in 2012 and is available online.
“In Essentials of Love, I deal with love as a principle, beyond emotion. This is inspired by the greatest commandment, which is love. I look at different types of love and problems emanating from love, and elaborate on what love consciousness is. I also had to look at the most critical love. The love between a man and woman, it’s how we human beings procreate. It is the romantic and sexual love, that’s where the inspiration for the book Babe, I want you, came from. The book focuses on romance, love and sex.
“I also became a relationship speaker in 2012. I have been on Thobela FM and Capricorn FM. I started speaking at weddings as well and couples come for consultations. I am not a counselor, I’m a motivational speaker for couples. When couples see me, I make that clear.”
