There is an awful lot I don’t know, but there are a few things I am quite sure of: the world needs more of certain things and a great deal less of others.

We could all do with less greed and selfishness and vanity and pride and egomaniacal pseudo-celebrities; we could use a lot more kindness, generosity and humility; more ordinary people getting credit for their extraordinary everyday accomplishments.

Love is definitely something the world needs more of; the world always has needed it and it always will.

Valentine’s Day is approaching, which certainly causes the subject of love come to mind.

I don’t just mean the &uot;hearts and flowers’ kind of love, though there is nothing wrong with bringing a little romance into our daily lives.

I highly recommend, in fact, you discover a way to fit a regular date night with your spouse into your busy schedule – even if you are like me and have no youngsters underfoot.

I think it makes for a stronger relationship less likely to fray around the edges. Not taking the person you love for granted falls right in with things we need more of in this world.

By the same token, we sometimes tend to take far too much for granted relationships with our friends and other family members, our co-workers, our employees, our students, and it’s a shame.

I do it. We all do it.

So, maybe, this Valentine’s Day, we should all make a concerted effort to be a bit more sensitive to the hopes, dreams and fears of those in our little corner of the world. We can’t buy everyone we care about roses or chocolates or diamonds (unless we’re Bill Gates, of course).

We can, however, show some gentleness, some tact, share a welcome generosity of spirit. We can extend a little grace their way. Remember the Golden Rule?

&uot;Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.&uot;

Putting those words into practice is something the world very much needs right now.

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Speaking of things of which the world needs in abundance, I would have to include the wonderful cooperative spirit that exists at our new Greenville YMCA. It truly is amazing to see how far the organization has been able to come in its efforts to expand what it offers the community.

It’s been a tremendous undertaking, considering the vast amount of work and expense involved in bringing the old GA building up to code, not to mention all the new paint, carpeting and other improvements made. If you haven’t made a trip to see these &uot;eighth wonder of Greenville&uot;, by all means, stop by and take a tour. You will be impressed.

As an old art ed. major, I am particularly struck by the amount of artistic talent displayed throughout the new facility. It’s a colorful, imaginative place – one that will encourage young people to bloom physically, mentally and spiritually. I applaud all the Y workers and the volunteers from throughout the community – bravo!

Angie Long is the lifestyles reporter for the Greenville Advocate and can be reached at 383-9302, ext. 132 or via email at angie.long@greenvilleadvocate.com.