New Delhi, May 31 -- Felix Adler, the German-American educator, ethicist and founder of the Ethical Culture movement, believed deeply in moral growth, human dignity and the responsibility people have toward one another. His idea of love was not shallow romance or emotional dependence; it was rooted in mutual enrichment, shared character and ethical companionship.

The quote, "Love is the expansion of two natures," is usually shared in its fuller form: "Love is the expansion of two natures in such fashion that each includes the other, each is enriched by the other."

In simple terms, Adler is saying that real love does not shrink a person. It expands them. It allows two people to become more generous, more aware, more patient and more comp...