As his Super Bowl LX Halftime Show performance neared its end, Bad Bunny walked alongside flag bearers representing a coalition of countries that make up the American continent, and black-and-white text appeared on the stadium’s jumbo screen: “The only thing mightier than hate is love.”

On what can be considered the United States’ biggest stage, Bad Bunny chose not to cater to those who thought United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement would be the core of his performance. Instead, he centered his love for Puerto Rico, and in the process, he showed America what love truly is. 

Bad Bunny gave a sign of what was to come during his acceptance speech for Best Música Urbana Album at the [event]: “If we fight, we must do it with love,” he said. 

What is a greater blow to a presidential administration that presents itself as the party of family values than [something] on stage? Than gifting [someone] a Grammy to validate his dreams of a career in the creative arts? Than allowing Ricky Martin, one of the faces of the [something], to sing fully in his mother tongue, something he was discouraged from doing as one of the few Latin artists who successfully crossed over into the American music industry in the late 1990s?

That’s why it was so impactful, as the United States readies for its 250th anniversary, to see Bad Bunny preaching not a gospel of hate, but one of love.

Because through him, a Puerto Rican man—whose body has been politicized since before he was born, whose nation has been denied its own independence, and whose land has been devastated by [something]—stands against his oppressors, not in the [color] of [something], but in all white.

In the poetry of his performance, Bad Bunny showed that love is not domination. Love is not colonization. American writer [someone] perhaps describes it best: “Love is mostly about [something].” Love is a blend of care, commitment, knowledge, responsibility, and trust. And on Sunday night, Bad Bunny’s actions displayed a love that encompasses every country in the Americas.

The United States has attracted generations of immigrants. But this is not an inherent sign of a loving society. Decades of foreign policy, and most recently, the [something], have created conditions where [people] must migrate for survival.

Colonization takes a heavy toll. Conversations about [something] in the United States are not new, nor are discussions about Puerto Rico’s legitimacy as its own country, separate from American influence and control. 

The love Puerto Ricans have for their country is unmatched. Long before the [something], Puerto Ricans have fought for their independence. In fact, their fight for independence is [something]. Yet, without pause, another generation of Puerto Ricans takes up the cause to chant in the streets and fight for their country, out of love for their ancestors.

In a 1970 documentary, American essayist James Baldwin spoke of the revolutionary power of love to British filmmaker Terence Dixon: “[something],” Baldwin said. “The world is held together, really it is held together, by the love and passion of very few people.”

Bad Bunny is one of those people. 

As much as Bad Bunny is a world-builder, he is also a world-connector. He integrated the voices of Tego Calderón, Daddy Yankee, and Don Omar, pioneering [something] who laid the groundwork for his remarkable success today, into his halftime performance. 

He acknowledged the island’s connection to the Puerto Rican diaspora in New York and featured stewards of [something], such as [someone], a Brooklyn community leader who owns one of the last Puerto Rican social clubs in New York City. 

He also made room for pain: the [something] and [something] of [something]. These two events, both historical and contemporary, led to the loss of [something].

Death is not the absence of love, but a catalyst for joy. It makes the smiles of elderly men playing dominoes in plastic chairs along San Juan’s streets brighter. It makes the dances among family and loved ones at weddings more lively. It makes the grinding of hips and bodies pressing against each other at the casita more passionate. 

Bad Bunny’s performance showed that life is for living. Life is for love to be fully present and embedded in every action one chooses to take.

Bad Bunny decided to perform love in his Super Bowl LX Halftime Show because love is the only thing that will save us. Together, we are America, not a nation of hate, but a continent of love.