The necessity of philosophy, of understanding the needful

If we can all accept that being a (real) Christian entails making a personal commitment to the primacy of (real) Love as a value - while leaving the details and implications undefined at present - then what is the value of "truth", of seeking understanding of the world, and of people?

The question seems worth asking - because it seems that many people regard personal philosophical endeavor as optional in the Christian life, and the seeking of understanding as a distraction.   

The value of understanding is its necessity for living by Love. 

Truth and understanding ought to be directed at Love. 

And we need to understand enough to live in accordance with the primacy of Love. 

In other words; abstract and generic understanding is not of value. 

But it is necessary for each of us to understand reality sufficiently well that we can live properly. 

(Whether we actually do then live properly is not a matter of understanding, but instead a decision and personal commitment.) 

In practice, nowadays and in the West; people's actually-existing understanding is a severe obstacle to their living well. 

Indeed, the standard and mainstream understanding of most people constitutes an actual barrier to living well. 

I mean that if we live in accordance with standard mainstream modern Western understanding (atheist, materialist etc) - then we cannot live as we should, and we cannot live in accordance with the primacy of Love. 

So much for atheistic-materialism; however, understanding is a two-sided thing - which situation entails a particular person engaging with particular assumptions and values.  

On such a basis; it also seems evident to me that many of the assumptions and values of religions, including Christianity, also function as obstacles, barriers, even blockages - preventing people living in accordance with the primacy of Christian love. 

In other words; many religions, including many self-identified Christian religions (denominations, churches), here-and-now, constitute forms of understanding hostile to the reality of Christianity. 

Such are reasons why understanding is important, and often spiritually vital. 

Insofar as our actually-existing understanding is an obstacle, barrier or blockage to living in accordance with Love; then we must strive to understand that which it is necessary for us (me/ here/ now) to understand. 

Gaining understanding, doing-philosophy in the specific way described above, should be a major priority in the lives of most people.

In this ultimate and simple way; for most people here-and-now, seeking understanding is non-optional, doing-philosophy is necessary. 

NOTE: As I have often said here, what I mean here by understanding is grasping for-ourselves (not outsourced, not by trusting an authority), as a single "instantaneous" mental act of comprehension. And what needs understanding are things like the basic nature of reality - the universe and our-selves, and the relations between. Basic matters such as whether reality is alive or not, has purpose or not, the nature of freedom/ agency. In technical terms "metaphysics". In short: we must have a valid understanding of that metaphysics necessary to living by Love.